A New Direction Taken
by Michael The-Zorch Haney
Summary: After being stranded together on an island in the South Pacific for six months, Ranma and Kasumi return home carrying a secret that will change many lives.
1. Chapter 1

DISCLAIMER: Ranma ½ is the registered trademark of Viz Communications, Kitty Films, and Rumiko Takahashi.  
  
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Inspired by Adrian D. Moten's "Kasumi 1/2"  
  
A N E W D I R E C T I O N T A K E N  
  
by Michael "TheZorch" Haney  
  
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Chapter 1  
  
Tendo Kasumi looked out the kitchen window and out into the back yard. She watched "him" as he danced around his father's blindingly fast kicks and punches, "he" shifted from the defensive to the offensive and moved with a speed that was simply super human. To anyone who did not know Saotome Ranma intimately they would have considered him to be something beyond the extraordinary. In truth, Ranma was a prodigy in the martial arts, unequaled among others of his generations, and perhaps generations before him. The young pigtailed boy of 17 that Kasumi watched with rapt attention had fought some of the most powerful martial artists in the world and won each challenge. He had even confronted a god face to face and walked away alive.  
  
The eldest Tendo sister let her memories drift back over the oceans of time. The past six months had been the most exciting and terrifying in her life. It would have been worse if not for the fact that "he" was there to protect her. Kasumi had to thank her father for that decision. Six months ago Kasumi did something she had rarely ever done, she left the Tendo home on what the family considered to be a long overdue vacation. Kasumi remembered the day she received the letter from her friend inviting her to visit her in Hawaii. At first Kasumi was going to decline the offer, but everyone supported the idea that she should go. It had been so long since she had been away from the house, and everyone was in agreement that she deserved a break.  
  
"Yeah, you should go." Akane had said. "You deserve a vacation."  
  
"Sure, you do so much for us, you need a little time off." Ranma said with that kind smile Kasumi had grown accustom to.  
  
"I don't know, what about all the cooking and cleaning?" she asked.  
  
"Oh don't worry, I'll handled the cooking Kasumi." Akane said with a broad smile, and was completely oblivious to the horrified expressions on her family's faces.  
  
"I'll handle the cooking, dear." Saotome Nodoka spoke up. A collective sigh of relief passed across the room. "You and Nabiki can handle the cleaning."  
  
Nabiki pointed to herself with a frown and said, "Me, clean."  
  
"Ranma can help out too." Kasumi said with a smile.  
  
"Actually, I had a different idea in mind for Ranma." Tendo Soun said, speaking for the first time since the subject of Kasumi's trip was brought up.  
  
"Huh?" Ranma turned to him.  
  
"Son, I'd like you to go with Kasumi and look after her." Soun said to him. "I'd feel a lot better if she had someone with her to protect her."  
  
"Really father, it isn't necessary." Kasumi said in calm protest.  
  
Soun shook his had and said, "Please Kasumi, your father would feel better if his daughter had someone to protect her on this trip."  
  
"Why not let him go with you Kasumi." Akane said. "It'll keep the pervert from getting into more trouble."  
  
"Who ya calling a pervert!" Ranma growled at his erstwhile iinazuke. "Besides, Kasumi isn't a little girl Mr. Tendo, she don't need me to go along with her."  
  
"Boy, it is the number one duty of a martial art to protect those who cannot protect themselves." Saotome Genma said to his son in a glowering tone. "Kasumi is going to a foreign land for the first time by herself, and as the heir to the Saotome Anything Goes School of Martial Arts it is your duty to protect your future sister-in-law."  
  
"You're quite right Saotome." Soun nodded.  
  
"Ok, ok I'll go with her!" Ranma shouted. "Geeze!"  
  
"The chartered flight to Honolulu leaves tomorrow afternoon, Ranma." Kasumi said. "You might want to start packing, we'll be gone for a week."  
  
Ranma folded his arms behind his back and said, "Heh, maybe it won't be so bad to go, I mean a week without the old freak and the violent tomboy could do me some good."  
  
Ranma never saw the mallet dropping until he felt the impact. "Well excuse me for being a burden!" Akane cried. "Go on the trip, you can stay there for all I care!"  
  
"Oh my." was all Kasumi could say.  
  
Kasumi gave a small chuckle as she remembered that day. It was a faithful one in her memories, for it was the beginning of an adventure that was far different from the one she had been expecting. The sound of a loud splash from outside broke her from her revere and Kasumi went out onto the back porch with the kettle. Sure enough, a wet voluptuous redhead climbed out of the koi pond, launched herself into the air, and dropped kicked her father face first in the pond.  
  
"Oh my." Kasumi said as the inevitable panda broke the surface.  
  
"Honestly Ranma, you're back home only four days after being stranded on that island and you act like nothing ever happened." Akane said with annoyance from the living room where she was sipping her morning tea.  
  
"Hey, I can't let what happened keep me from continuing my training, Akane." Ranma-chan said as she walked up onto the porch. Kasumi upended the kettle over her head and the redhead girl instantly reverted by to his taller boy form. "Thanks Kasumi."  
  
"You're very welcome Ranma." Kasumi said smiling.  
  
"Akane, this whole experience proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that Ranma is quite suitable as the heir to the Tendo dojo." Soun said from behind his newspaper. "He protected your sister for six months from savage animals and the elements despite her injuries and lack of supplies."  
  
"My son is so manly." Nodoka said with a happy smile. Akane looked at the two of them and rolled her eyes.  
  
"You should be proud to have such a resourceful iinazuke, Akane." Soun said. No one in the room noticed that brief sadness on Kasumi's face before she returned to the kitchen to finish making breakfast. Nodoka followed behind and did not notice the look on Kasumi's face. She was helping Kasumi out in the kitchen since her return home. The eldest Tendo sister refused to stay in bed after getting back and quickly took up her duties around the house. Her injuries, most of which were healed, did hinder her in some ways but her sisters and Ranma's mother were there to help her.  
  
"Whatever." Akane said and sipped her tea.  
  
-----  
  
"Oh my, I'm not feeling very well today." Kasumi said as she stumbled out of the bathroom the next morning. Akane looked at her with concern, her older sister looked flushed and weak on her legs. She quickly moved to help the taller girl into the dinning room where their father and the Saotomes were having their morning tea.  
  
"Not feeling good today Kasumi dear?" Nodoka asked her.  
  
"Kasumi, you don't feel well?" Soun asked putting down his newspaper.  
  
"Auntie Nodoka, could you make breakfast this morning?" Kasumi asked the Saotome matriarch. "I'm afraid I don't really feel up to it today."  
  
"Maybe you should go see Dr. Tofu." Akane said.  
  
Kasumi nodded, "I need to lay down for a while first, then I'll go see him."  
  
"Want me to stay home from school today to help?" Akane asked her.  
  
Kasumi gave her an appreciative smile but said, "Oh no, there is no reason for you to skip school today. I'll be fine, I'm sure it is just some indigestion."  
  
Nabiki chose that time to make an entrance. "Who's sick?" she asked. "I heard somebody heaving their brains out in the bathroom."  
  
"That would be me I'm afraid." Kasumi said weakly.  
  
"Kasumi dear, go and rest and I'll take care of everything today." Nodoka said with a smile as she headed for kitchen.  
  
"It's to be expected, after the ordeal she's been through." Genma spoke up. "She may have picked up a bug from that island she and Ranma was stranded on."  
  
"Then why isn't Ranma getting sick?" Akane asked.  
  
"With his cast iron stomach." Nabiki said with a smirk. "The only thing that can bring him down is your cooking Akane."  
  
Akane quickly shot her the evil eye. "Gee, thanks a lot Nabiki." she said.  
  
"Speaking of Ranma, where is that boy?" Genma asked.  
  
"I don't know, I haven't seen him since your workout this morning, Saotome." Soun said.  
  
Up on the roof of the Tendo dojo Saotome Ranma laid down looking up at the blue morning sky. Today was going to be his first day back to school in over six months since his and Kasumi's ordeal. He was not surprised at how much the incident effected him. Things happened during that time which put a lot of things in perspective for the young martial artist. In some says it helped him grow up in areas that were badly needing development, and none of it had anything to do with martial arts. Ranma's mind drifted back to how all of it started.  
  
New Tokyo International Airport was built on an artificial island constructed in Tokyo Bay. It was necessary, a large airport needed a vast amount of land and in a country where every square inch of land was nearly as valuable as gold building such a large facility on the Japanese mainland would have been a logistical nightmare. The engineering to build the airport was almost as massive an undertaking as the tunnel that linked England and France, the new subway project of New York City, and Kansai International at Hong Kong which was also built on an artificial island. None of these facts were on the mind of Saotome Ranma as he and Kasumi said goodbye to their family at the gate where their charter pilot waited for them.  
  
Kasumi's friend, Chidori Mitoru worked for the American division of a trading company that brought Japanese good to the West. She lived in Honolulu, HI, the capital city of America's fiftieth state. The plane was own by her family and the pilot, Chidori Nobokubi introduced himself as her uncle. He was an older man with graying hair and kind grandfatherly eyes. It turned out he was a veteran of Japan's air force back in World War II and had been one of the oldest fighter aces of the day. Nowadays he made a living flying charter flights between Japan and Hawaii with his Mitsubishi TurboLance. It was the first of a new generation long range turboprop planes powered by a new kind of hydrogen fuel cell. Ranma really was not sure, he was not into the technical kind of stuff.  
  
"Uncle Nobokubi, it has been a long time." Kasumi said bow respectfully to the older man.  
  
"My my, Kasumi dear you're almost a spitting image of your mother." the older man said. "You've grown up to be quite a beautiful young lady."  
  
Kasumi blushed furiously, "Oh my, thank you very much. And I might say you look quite distinguished."  
  
Nobokubi laughed, "Old age seems to suit this old airman. Say, who's your young friend? A boyfriend maybe?"  
  
Kasumi's blush took on a even deeper shade of red and she said, "Oh my, this is Saotome Ranma, Akane's iinazuke. Father thought it would be a good idea if he accompanied me as my guardian."  
  
"Ranma, eh, so you're old Genma's boy." Nobokubi said to the pigtailed martial artist. "Engaged to Akane are you, ha ha, you must be something special to catch the attention of that little firecracker."  
  
Ranma ignore his reference to Akane and asked, "You know my pop?"  
  
"Sure do, the Chidori clan has been family friends of the Tendos and Saotomes for years." Nobokubi said. "Why I remember the day your father and Soun left on their first training trip with that old fart Happosai. Whatever happened to him anyway?"  
  
"Oh, he's around." Ranma replied.  
  
The start of the flight was uneventful. Kasumi was fascinated and a bit frightened at the same time as the small single engine plane soared into the air. Ranma sat behind the eldest Tendo sister and just yawned. It was not the first time he'd been this high up in the air. He was usually flying airborne like this courtesy Akane Air, and he certainly was not afraid of heights. The plane was amazingly quiet, its main engine was in the rear of the plane leaving more room up front for a spacious crew compartment. The prop that propelled the plane forward were a pair of counter rotating rotors with six blades each. They delivered the same amount of thrust as a small business jet, but at nearly 50 times the effective flight range. The plane could make it all the way to San Francisco if they wanted without having to take on more hydrogen, but they'd be pushing it.  
  
The vast expanse of blue water laid out all around them as the plane made its way through the skies. Ranma decided to catch up on his sleep and curled up on the seats in the back. He was not sure how long he slept, but when he awoke the plane was lurching violently and Kasumi was in a near panic.  
  
"What the hell is going on?" Ranma demanded.  
  
"Looks like we hit a squall." Nobokubi said.  
  
"I thought you pilot guys checked the weather before making flights like these." Ranma said with annoyance in his voice. He was not concerned so much for himself, but the frightened look in Kasumi's eyes tugged at that part of his heart that hated seeing any girl in distress.  
  
"That don't mean squat out here sonny boy." Nobokubi told him as he struggled to keep the plane on course. "Storms like these can pop up on the ocean barely without any warning. I've seen storms pop up lots of times when the weather services predict there won't be any."  
  
"Will we be alright Uncle Nobokubi?" Kasumi asked, her voice trembling.  
  
"Don't you worry Kasumi dear, I've been flying for thirty years so there is nothing to be afraid of." he said.  
  
A bright flash suddenly filled the interior of the plane. Kasumi screamed at the top of her lungs and Ranma shielded his eyes from the intensity of the glare. When the light faded the first thing Ranma realized was that he could not hear the plane's engine anymore, and several lights on the instrument panel were flashing.  
  
"OH SHIT!" Nobokubi shouted.  
  
"Oh shit, oh shit what?" Ranma asked.  
  
"Lightning fried the avionics, I can't get the engine restarted." Nobokubi admitted. "We're going down."  
  
"OH MY!" Kasumi screamed.  
  
"Ranma, behind the seat is an emergency raft and survival gear in a waterproof bag." Nobokubi said to him. "Start getting it out. I'm gonna try and ditch us as smoothly as I can." Ranma looked at Kasumi who had passed out from terror and nodded with a determined look his face. Mr. Tendo sent him with her to protect her, and that was what he was going to do.  
  
A voice called out to him shocking him out of his memories.  
  
"Ranma, you're going to be late for your first day back to school!"  
  
The pigtailed martial artist snapped back to the present day and looked at his mother in the back yard. She was standing here with her lands on her hips looking up at him. "Ok, mom, I'll be right down." he said and leapt down alighting effortless in the grass next to her.  
  
"Now, go eat your breakfast before it gets cold and off you go." Nodoka said with a motherly smile.  
  
Ranma sat down before his breakfast and looked around the table. "Where's Kasumi?" he asked.  
  
"Oh, she's not feeling well today, so I made breakfast." Nodoka said.  
  
"She gonna go see the Doc?" he asked.  
  
"She said she's going to see Dr. Tofu after she had a rest, it shouldn't be anything to worry about." Soun said from behind his newspaper.  
  
Ranma sighed, "Good."  
  
-----  
  
"Ranma."  
  
"Huh?"  
  
Ranma looked down from his perch on the fence at Akane. She looked up at him as they walked towards Furinken High. Since returning home on an American air force transport from Hawaii he had a hard time looking her in the eye. There were many things about his experience on the deserted island he still did not tell everyone, and even a few things that he thoughts was better never told. Still, he had a hard time looking at her knowing what happened before he and Kasumi were rescued.  
  
"Ranma, I never thanked you." Akane said looking up at him. "I never thanked you for looking out for Kasumi. You really went through for us, thanks for keeping her safe."  
  
"Uh, your welcome Akane." he said.  
  
Then she said something that nearly made him fall off the fence. "I guess I really can trust you." she said. He recovered from that so quickly he hoped she did not notice it, or perhaps mistook it for shock that she would actually say she trust him and not suspect some other reason for his reaction. Ranma prayed inwardly that Akane would not get suspicious of his reaction. He had reasons to be worried.  
  
"Come on, we're gonna be late!" Akane said as she broke into a run. Ranma zipped past her on the fence at full speed, leapt into the air, and sailed over the parameter wall that surrounded the school grounds. Akane showed up a few seconds later to the sight of Ranma and Kuno engaged in a little reunion of sorts.  
  
"Saotome!" Kuno hissed the name. "You're alive! Is there no justice in this universe!?"  
  
"Hey Kuno, how's it hang'in man?" Ranma asked cheerfully. The response from the would-be samurai was to have the tip of a bokken shoved into his face.  
  
"The fact of your survival is proof of your otherworldly origins, demon." Kuno said with anger. "You will not be able to escape the vengeance of heaven forever you enslaver of women."  
  
Ranma sighed and said, "Gee, nice to see you too Kuno."  
  
"Upperclassman Kuno, Ranma and Kasumi just got back four days ago." Akane said.  
  
"Four days, you fiend!" Kuno snapped at Ranma. "You've been hording dear Akane for four days!"  
  
"Actually I spent two of those days being checked out in the hospital." Ranma said. "Kasumi and me didn't have much in the way of medical supplies on that island."  
  
"You fiend, alone for weeks on a romantic deserted island with the sweet, virginal Kasumi!" Kuno accused. "Even Akane's sisters are the target of your base lusts!"  
  
Ranma tried to stifle a wince with all of his will power, and the only thing that was visible was a sudden lack of color to his face. He countered quickly by grabbing the taller boy by the collar and said, "You got a lotta nerve to talk, bokken breath!"  
  
"You gotta be kidding Kuno baby, I mean Ranma and Kasumi." Nabiki said, a mirthful expression on her face. "That's about as ludicrous as you and me getting together."  
  
"Besides, Ranma would be a dead man if he did." Akane said looking at Ranma. "Isn't that right Ranma?"  
  
"Uh, yeah, whatever you say Akane." Ranma said nodding.  
  
Kuno stepped back and deposited his bokken into his samurai outfit. "Well then, let us continue this at another time Saotome so that we will not be late to our appointed classes." he said. He turned and walked towards the school. The vision of himself and Nabiki standing before the altar in wedding garb filled his mind. The very thought made the Kendoist's skin crawl.  
  
"Nut bar." Ranma said under his breath.  
  
All of Ranma's friends at school quickly surround him to find out how he was and what happened for the past six months. Many of the girls who were among his admirers at Furinken High hung on his every word to the annoyance of Akane. At homeroom Ranma braced himself for what was inevitable. As soon as he crossed the threshold into the room Ukyo practically tackled him as she gave him a Shampoo-class glomp.  
  
"RANMA HONEY!" GLOMP!  
  
"Hey Ucchan, what's up?" Ranma asked after the okonomiyaki chef finally released him taking the pressure off his lungs.  
  
"What's up, what's up, you're been missing for six months and that's all you can say to me!" she said angrily, but her feelings for him overpowered her anger and Ukyo hugged him again a bit less crushingly.  
  
"I'm sorry, I've missed you Ucchan." Ranma said trying to ignore the softness of the girl's breasts pressed against him. He never realized just how well endowed Ukyo really was, she was so good at hiding it.  
  
"Maybe I should all leave so you two can be alone." Akane said angrily as she went to her seat.  
  
"To celebrate your return I'm going to make you my super-special- deluxe okonomiyaki for lunch today." Ukyo said happily. "I bet it'll beat the coconuts and rats you and Kasumi had to live off of for the past six months."  
  
"Wow, thanks Ucchan." Ranma said, his eyes lighting up at the thought of food. Akane just shook her head and sighed. The more things change the more they stay the same., she said to herself. Miss Hinako inaugurated Ranma's return to Furinken High by draining him the instant he fell asleep during her English lecture. Lunchtime could not have come any sooner for the pigtailed martial artist. He met up with Akane, her friends, and Ukyo under their favorite tree in the school yard. The okonomiyaki chef had her portable grill out within seconds and was already finishing the first round of Japanese pizza when Ranma heard a recognizable sound behind him. The sound was subtle, almost imperceptible to those untrained to be sensitive to their surrounds like he was. It was the sound of the gears of a bicycle, and not just any bicycle.  
  
"Nihao Ranma, welcome home!" Shampoo cheered as her Bicycle of Death cleared the wall. Ranma shifted over to the right just slightly, but it was enough to keep from being crushed under the front wheel. That was what usually happened when the chipper, voluptuous Chinese Amazon showed up on her lethal two wheel bike.  
  
"Hey Shampoo, nice to see you." Ranma said.  
  
He braced himself for the expected glomp and sure enough Shampoo launched herself at him and bowled him to the ground. With every ounce of will power he could muster Ranma concentrated on keeping a certain part of his anatomy from rising to the occasion as Shampoo shoved his face into her over-abundant cleavage. Shampoo was the physical incarnation of every Japanese schoolboy's greatest wet dream.  
  
"Shampoo miss ailen so very very much, she has." the Chinese girl bubbled.  
  
"Shampoo, get off him!" Ukyo growled reaching for her baker's peel strapped on her back.  
  
"What it to you Spatula Girl." Shampoo said looking up at her with a smirk as she pressed Ranma's face deep between her breasts. The pigtailed boy's warrior's braid stood up on end and his face from the neck up turned red as an beet.  
  
"Let him go Shampoo!" Akane snapped at her looking as if she were about to leap on the girl.  
  
"Ooooh, Shampoo think maybe pervert girl is jealous, ne?" Shampoo said as she sat up and eased her vice grip on Ranma but did not actually completely let go. Nobody seemed to notice the fact that Ranma did not seem to be trying to pry her off of him like he usually did.  
  
"Don't be ridiculous!" Akane yelled. "Me, jealous over him?"  
  
"That what Shampoo thought, Akane is green eyed monster." Shampoo said with a giggle and let Ranma go. She went to her bicycle and picked up the delivery box off the carry basket behind the seat. The youngest Tendo sister just gave her a vicious stare. If looks could kill Shampoo would have been a greasy smear on the ground.  
  
"Shampoo bring special five spice deluxe fish ramen for Ranma." she said sliding up the side panel to reveal a steaming ceramic bowl.  
  
"I'm already making Ranma honey my special super-deluxe okonomiyaki." Ukyo said now holding her baker's peel in a ready fighting stance.  
  
"Uh, girls I am kinda hungry, so I can eat both." Ranma said, standing between the two combatants. "Ok? Both of you are great cooks, and I really don't like it when you guys fight."  
  
"Oh Ranma."  
  
"Oh Ranma honey."  
  
"Oh give me a break!"  
  
Ranma turned and got a glimpse of Akane's back as she and her friends walked off. "Let me know when you're done flirting with your other iinazuke." she said.  
  
"What's her problem?" Ranma asked but did not really expect an answer.  
  
-----  
  
When it came to Dr. Tofu Ono, Kasumi was like an overdoes of LSD. He lost all control of his usual professional self whenever her name was mentioned or he heard her voice. His various patients who came to see him during the day vacated the clinic like rats from a sinking ship when Kasumi entered through the front door. There was no way they were going to put themselves into the middle of ground zero when Dr. Tofu was on a Kasumi Trip.  
  
The young doctor came into the waiting room for his next patient only to find it empty save for one person. The instant his eyes met with Kasumi's lovely face his glasses fogged over and his body began to quiver all over.  
  
"Oh, K-K-Kasumi, funny meeting you h-h-here of all place, he he he." he said.  
  
"Dr. Tofu, I haven't been feeling well the past couple of days." she said.  
  
Kasumi might be sick!, the doctor's mind cried out and his sudden attack of Kasumi-itus quickly vanished. "Uh, this way Kasumi, let me have a look at you." he said and directed her to one of the examination rooms.  
  
The doctor's hands shook a little after Kasumi took off her blouse so he could check her with his stethoscope. Kasumi might be sick., he reminded himself. "So, you say you've been having nausea the past couple of days?" he asked her after listening to her lungs and finding nothing abnormal.  
  
"It was worse this morning, but it started two days ago." Kasumi said. "It usually only bothered me in the morning."  
  
Hmm, that sounds like, but no it couldn't be., the doctor mussed to himself. "I'd like to get a urine sample to send to the lab." he said and took a specimen cup out the cupboard over the sink in the room. "And I have an herbal tea recipe for you that I give our for indigestion."  
  
"Do you think that is all it is?" Kasumi asked him.  
  
"Well, you're body just might be adjusting to the change in diet and water quality." Dr. Tofu said. "You just got back after a very stressful ordeal. Which reminds me, how is your leg?"  
  
"Oh, it still aches a bit, but I can walk on it." she said.  
  
Dr. Tofu checked her leg, he shivered a little when he touched her curvaceous calve. "It will be sore for another month." he said. "Keep using the willow bark tea I gave you for the pain. You are lucky to have had Ranma with you when this happened. His experience in first aid from his training trips saved you from getting a very serious infection."  
  
"He did take very good care of me." she said. Dr. Tofu was not sure but he swore he heard a hint of close affection in her voice.  
  
The doctor gave Kasumi a small bag of the special tea for her stomach after she gave him the sample he needed. He walked her to the door and they said their goodbyes. As soon as she was gone he rushed into his office and grabbed the telephone.  
  
"Hello, I'd like to speak to Dr. Kojiro, this is Dr. Tofu Ono." he said. "Yes, I'll hold." A few seconds later someone came to the phone. "Doctor, I have a urine sample at my clinic I need tested and I need the results back ASAP." he said. "Can you squeeze me in today? You can, alright I'll send it to the lab right now. Thank you."  
  
He put down the phone and went into the stock room where his assistance was checking the supplies. He gave her the sample bottle and instruction on where to take it. He personally watched the young nurse leave on her bicycle for the test lab, then he went to his office and pull out one of his medical journals and the notes he took of Kasumi's symptoms. The information he found did not bode well.  
  
"It can't be." he said looking at his own notes. "How could it be?"  
  
"I'll wait for the results from the test, yeah, that's what I'll do." he said closing the book. "I'm just getting myself worked up for nothing that's all, he he he."  
  
-----  
  
Nothing seemed to have changed at all, not all that much. That was what Tendo Akane was thinking as she stood on the roof of the school. See looked out over the school grounds at the various students milling about doing what they usually did during the day at the high school. She heard a sound behind her and looked over her shoulder. The sight of Ukyo made her look away with some annoyance. The last thing she wanted to be reminded of was Ranma's other suitors.  
  
"Hey Akane." Ukyo said softly.  
  
"What do you want Ukyo?" Akane asked her.  
  
"I just wanted to ask you something." Ukyo said as she walked up next to her and leaned against the railing. "Did you notice anything strange about Ranma honey today?"  
  
"Why would I notice anything about him." Akane said in a huff.  
  
"I'm serious." Ukyo said loudly. "Ranma honey is usually tied up in knots when it comes to girls, but today he seemed so, so-"  
  
"Flirtatious." Akane said finishing Ukyo's sentence with a slight note of anger.  
  
"Uh, yeah, I guess that's what you could call it." Ukyo said.  
  
Akane sighed and leaned over onto the railing. "He's been acting weird ever since he and Kasumi came home." she said. "I thought it had something to do with what happened to them."  
  
"Akane, you don't think anything happened between Ranma honey and Kasumi do you?" Ukyo asked her.  
  
Akane laughed, "Ranma may be a pervert, but he's not that perverted." He had better not have for his sake., Akane said to herself. "I think maybe Kasumi might have used their time alone together to straighten him out, maybe just a little." Akane said.  
  
"She usually does take time to listen to his problems, doesn't she." Ukyo said with a sigh.  
  
"Oh come on, Ranma and Kasumi." Akane said turning to the chef. "You and I both know he'd never try anything with her, and besides that she's not in love with him. Kasumi likes Dr. Tofu."  
  
"Yeah, you're right." Ukyo said with a sigh and smiled. "Though it was nice not having a Ranma who got all nervous and skittish to talk to."  
  
Why couldn't he be like that with me?, Akane asked herself. "I guess." Akane said.  
  
Ukyo stood up and gasped. "You don't think being in a life-or-death situation like that finally made him decided to choose do you?" she asked excitedly.  
  
Akane looked at her and thought that one over. The more she rolled that around in her mind the more it became very likely that was what happened. Maybe, just maybe being near death or not know if he'd ever see his family and friends ever again motivated him to finally make a choice. The thought filled her with hope and dread at the same. If he is going to choose one of us, will it be me?, she asked herself.  
  
"That must be it." Ukyo said. "Ranma honey has finally decided to choose. Its about damn time that jackass finally decided to put an end to all this crap."  
  
"But, has he made his decision yet, or is he just trying to make up his mind." Akane said with a hopeful note to her voice.  
  
"So, you do like him." Ukyo said giving the younger Tendo girl a knowing wink.  
  
Akane's eyes went wide and she said, "Uh, no, why would I-" Maybe he will choose me., she said to herself. She did not finish her sentence, Akane turned back to the railing and looked down into the school yard. A happy smile crossed her lips.  
  
-----  
  
Dr. Tofu Ono waved goodbye to one of his regulars as they slowly walked down the street with the aid of an old wooden canes. The young doctor went to the waiting room and sighed. It had been a long day. After Kasumi left many of his regulars came back to see if he had recovered from his Kasumi-itus attack. In truth, he had not had one convulsion all day since Kasumi first arrived. Now he was waiting with baited breath for the call from the lab with Kasumi's test results. Normally he would have had to wait for a day, but the director of the labs at Tokyo General was a friend of his and could have the work on it put at the top of the list without much trouble. It was nearing four o'clock in the afternoon when the call came.  
  
"Oh, yes, thank you very much." Dr. Tofu said to the person on the phone. "Yes I do have a fax machine, the number is in Dr. Kojiro's Rolodex. Yes, ah, yes that is my fax number. Thank you, I'll be waiting for it. And thank Dr. Kojiro for rushing this for me."  
  
The fax came through and he hastily pulled it from the machine. Taking a cup of tea with him to his desk he began to read the test results. When he reached a certain line of medical data he nearly choked on his tea. The young doctor dropped to the floor and coughed for several minutes before recovering and climbed to his feet. He grabbed the paper and read it again to make sure he was not mistaken. He knew the labs at Tokyo General did not make mistakes, and the findings were in line with the symptoms he noticed in Kasumi. It was the very thought of it that shocked him to his core. The implications were too terrible to ponder, but he had the welfare of his patient to think about. So, he picked up the phone and dialed the Tendo dojo.  
  
Not far across Nerima, Kasumi happily sliced a tube root in preparation for dinner. Nodoka stood at the stove and sampled a bit of the sauce she was working on. When the phone rang the Saotome matriarch went to it quickly.  
  
"Mushi, mushi, Tendo residence." she said. "Oh, hello Dr. Tofu, yes it has been a long time. Oh, Kasumi, yes she's right hear dear."  
  
She lowered the phone and cupped her hand over the mouth piece. "Its that cute young doctor calling for you Kasumi dear." Nodoka said.  
  
"Auntie Saotome, please." Kasumi said blushing furiously as she took the phone from her.  
  
"Hello doctor." she said. "Oh I'm feeling better since I had some of that tea. You have the results of my test."  
  
At the clinic Dr. Tofu mustered his courage to say what needed to be said. He had to think of Kasumi's welfare. "Uh, Kasumi, I don't how to tell you this but your, your tests-" he tried to say.  
  
"Yes." she said.  
  
"Kasumi, I-I-I the tests show you to be at least three weeks pregnant." he finally said.  
  
Kasumi gasped and dropped the handset. She staggered back and slumped against the wall. "Oh, oh my." she said. "Oh, ohmyohmyohmyohmyohmy."  
  
"Anything wrong Kasumi dear?" Nodoka asked her.  
  
Kasumi looked at her a bit wild eyed for a moment and said, "I suddenly don't feel very well, Auntie Saotome. Could you finish dinner for me."  
  
"Of course dear, you go to your room and rest and I'll handle everything." Nodoka said with a smile. "Don't you worry about a thing, alright." She picked up the handset, said something to the doctor and hung up.  
  
Kasumi nodded and quickly went to her room. She slumped against her door immediately after she closed it and slid down to the floor and wrapped her arms around his knees. "What am I going to tell Ranma?" she asked herself out loud. "How can I explain this to Akane?" As the tears began to fall Kasumi's memories drifted back to the island in the South Pacific. The plane crash has not been smooth one. Kasumi had no memory of what happened when the place did go down. All she did know was that she was seriously hurt with a broken leg, bruised ribs, and many deep cuts. She would have been dead, drowned in the ocean if it had not been for Ranma.  
  
The first thing Kasumi remembered seeing after the crash in the ocean was Ranma-chan's worried face watching her. Kasumi hurt all over, her leg was burning with pain. She looked around and instead of being in an inflatable raft like she expected she was laying on the soft sand of a beach.  
  
"How do you feel?" Ranma-chan asked her.  
  
"It hurts all over." Kasumi said weakly.  
  
"I set your leg and put a splint on it." Ranma-chan said. "I salvaged what I could from the plane before it went under, but there wasn't a lot." Kasumi craned her neck down to look at herself and saw the splint on her leg left leg and bandages on her arms and her right leg.  
  
"Uncle Nobokubi!" Kasumi gasped and tried to sit up but Ranma-chan held her down.  
  
"I-I-I'm sorry, he didn't make it." Ranma-chan said sadly. "I buried him on the other side of the beach. I'm so sorry."  
  
"How long, how long have I been asleep?" Kasumi asked her while trying to hold back the tears. Nobokubi had not been her real uncle but she loved him like he was just the same. His death hurt her, it hurt almost as much as the pain in her leg.  
  
"A day and half." Ranma-chan said. "We crashed near this island, but it doesn't show on any of the charts he had in the plane. So I don't know where we could be."  
  
"We're stranded here." Kasumi said with a shaky voice. Ranma-chan nodded sadly.  
  
"We got ten flares and a flare gun, the satellite phone he had is toast, and the radio got fried when that lightning hit the plane." she said. "There ain't much in the way of food except for some granola bars and a couple bottles of water."  
  
"Father, Akane, Nabiki, we'll never see them again." Kasumi said, her chest shaking as the sobs came. She calmed some when she felt Ranma-chan take her hand in hers.  
  
"Kasumi, your dad told me to protect you, and I am." she said. "I'll find a way for us to get back home even if I gotta swim us back home."  
  
Kasumi wiped away her tears and said, "Thank you, I'm so happy you came with me, Ranma. I'd be so afraid on my own."  
  
"Don't worry, I'm here for you." Ranma-chan said then she picked up a bowl made out of half of a coconut shell. She began to stir something with a thin brush made from some reeds.  
  
"What's that?" Kasumi asked.  
  
"The first aid kit doesn't have an antiseptic, so I had to go out and find stuff to make one." Ranma-chan said. "You got some nasty cuts, and they can get infected out here easy."  
  
"How did you learn to do that?" Kasumi asked her.  
  
Ranma shrugged and said, "Eh, traveling with pops for ten years taught me more than just martial arts. We didn't always have the money for a doctor so we had to make up our own remedies for stuff. Making an antiseptic is easy if you know what plants to look for."  
  
"Ranma."  
  
"Hmmm?"  
  
"How did, how did he die?" Kasumi asked.  
  
Ranma-chan sat there thinking that one over for a moment, but them decided being honest with Kasumi was probably a better policy. "He didn't have his harness on." she said. "When we hit the water his head hit the ceiling of the cabin. I heard his skull crack, it was instant. He didn't suffer."  
  
"Ranma." Kasumi said taking the redhead's hand. "Thank you for being truthful with me."  
  
"You deserve to know the truth, keeping it from you wouldn't have served any purpose." Ranma-chan said. "After I change your dressing on your cuts I'm gonna start building us a shelter. I didn't do much the first day, I didn't wanna leave you here while you were out."  
  
"Thank you." Kasumi said with a smile.  
  
Ranma-chan began to unwrap one of the bandages on Kasumi's arm. "This might sting a little." she warned her.  
  
In the present Kasumi opened her eyes and her thoughts drift to the young pigtailed martial artist. His life was filled with so much chaos. This was the last thing he needed to have to deal with. But, she knew she had to tell him. He had a right to know to the truth. After all, he'd been truthful with her. He protected her and took care of her. Before this experience Kasumi would not have given Ranma a second thought as a love interest. She did like him, he was a good person, and he was Akane's iinazuke. Now however, she knew Ranma in a way none of the others did. She had seen the true Saotome Ranma, and she feel in love with him. It did not happen overnight, it was gradual over time, but after a few months being under his gentle care and protection Kasumi had seen a different side to Ranma. She had seen in him something she never knew was there.  
  
Months had passed since the crash and Kasumi was now able to walk a little on her leg. She remembered sitting at the fire in their camp just off the beach making dinner for her guardian while he was out gathering fruit. There was not much in the way of wild life to hunt for dinner on the island except for snakes and large rats. There were no wild boar or any larger animals. Ranma had managed to make a makeshift fishing net out of a parachute from the plane so they could eat fish. Kasumi did have to admit to one though from her experience. Snake really does taste like chicken. Water was not a problem for them either since Ranma found a fresh water spring near a small cave.  
  
One day, the regular routine of the day was about to take a turn for the worst, or perhaps that is what Kasumi thought when she saw the black clouds gathering on the horizon. Ranma had seen them from the top of a banana tree, and Kasumi heard the young martial artist curse as he alighted to the ground.  
  
"Looks like a nasty storm is on its way." he said. "We'd better batten down the camp."  
  
Their shelter, which the two shared, was a small grass hut with a thatch roof. It kept out the rain whenever it did rain occasionally, but Ranma knew it would not survive a really big storm. Neither of them really knew how bad the storm was going to be until it began to get closer to the island. By that time the winds had gotten strong enough to rip the roof off their hut and cave in one of the walls.  
  
"This is bad, and its gonna get worse." Ranma said.  
  
"I'm scared!" Kasumi cried over the roar of the wind. Ranma reached out and held her protectively in his arms. The wind was getting colder too, and he guessed by the time the storm hit it was going to be bone chilling cold.  
  
"Help me get the gear, we'll wait it out in that cave near the spring." he said. Kasumi nodded and the two struggled against the fierce wind to gather what belongings they had and held each other as they made their way to the cave by the spring. The cave was small, but ran far enough back that they were well protected from the fierce storm outside. A natural chimney, possibly a leftover from some long extinct volcanic activity on the island, ran up to the top of the rocky mound the cave sat under. It was the perfect place to start a fire to keep warm. The sound of the storm's fury echoed from the mouth of the cave.  
  
Kasumi shook with fright, the storm brought back fears of the storm they had been caught up in while on the plane. Ranma held her close and wrapped a blanket from the survival gear around them to keep them warm. Kasumi leaned against Ranma's chest and rest her head on his shoulder. She never realized how solid Ranma's body was, his chest was hard as a rock, his stomach had a well defined washboard. But, Ranma was not over developed like a weight lifter, he had a lean build like Bruce Lee in his heyday. He was much stronger than any man she knew. How many martial artist could throw a one ton boulder like a beach ball one handed? Despite that incredible strength, when Ranma tended to her wounds his hands were so soft and gentle. She could feel his awesome power in his fingers yet they were soft gentle when they touched her skin.  
  
Perhaps it was from being afraid, perhaps it was because she was slowly falling in love with him, or maybe a combination of both. Kasumi looked up into Ranma's soft blue eyes and saw compassion and kindness there. For the first time she realized just how handsome the young Saotome heir was. At first she envied Akane for having him as her iinazuke, but that thought brought with it memories of how her younger sister treated Ranma. That was what probably drove Kasumi to do what she did next. No, she knew that was why, she was sure of it. As Ranma held her close, warming her with his body, she leaned her face up and kissed him on the neck gently.  
  
"K-K-Kasumi." he said in shock.  
  
"I love you." she said.  
  
"I-I-I, uh-"  
  
"Don't be afraid, don't pull away." she pleaded with him as she was him go into his shy convulsions. She had seen it many times when Shampoo glomped him. "Please." she said.  
  
"K-K-Kasumi, I-I never knew-"  
  
"I've fallen in love with you." she admitted. "You've been so gentle, so kind. I've seen a side of you that nobody has ever seen before."  
  
"I really care about you too Kasumi." Ranma admitted. "You've always been nice to me and stuff, and I think you're like really pretty." Kasumi leaned up and kissed him again, this time on his cheek. She moved up and worked her way to his lips. At first he did not return the kiss, but when she kissed him a second time she felt him return it. With every second she could feel his confidence growing, and with his growing confidence his kisses began stronger. She wrapped her arms around him and ran her fingers though his hair. Ranma's hands held her tightly but in a gentle way. His hands roved down her back, and when one of his hands brushed her breast he froze in his tracks.  
  
With a smile Kasumi took his hand and cupped her breast with it. Ranma's face turned a deep shade of red. Kasumi kissed him again then looked into his eyes with a pleading expression. "Ranma, please." she said.  
  
"I-I-I, I mean, eh, uh, I-"  
  
"I need you." she said softly and began to kiss him along his neck. Her lips made it to his ear lobe and she sucked on it for a moment. Kasumi felt a shiver run up Ranma's back when she did that, and before long she felt something hard pressing against her leg.  
  
"Don't be afraid, I love you, I trust you, and I need you so much." she pleaded and kissed him again. The last of Ranma's self-control withered to nothing in that instant. Slowly, gently, he lowered Kasumi to the floor. The eldest Tendo sister's body shivered with the memory of the love they shared that night. It would not be the first and only time, and she cherish the memory of each moment deep in her heart. Their first time has been bit a sloppy, neither of them were experienced, but it was the most wonderful thing Kasumi had ever felt in her entire life. It took a while for them to get a good rhythm going. What they did that night was not not just having sex, they made love the only way two people who really cared about one another could, and that kind of lovemaking was more exciting than any other.  
  
The sound of Ranma's voice from downstairs brought her back to the present. Her heart leapt into her throat. She had to tell him, but how was he going to take the news. She feared the worst, she feared that he would hate her for making his life even harder than it already was. Kasumi was brought out of her reverie when she hear the boy's light footfalls on the stairs as he headed to his room. She climbed to her feet and opened her bedroom door to look out. Ranma went into this room for a moment then came a few minutes later.  
  
"Ranma-." she said.  
  
"Kasumi, mom said you weren't feeling well again." he said walking up to her.  
  
She could not look him in the eye, she could not look up at him. Kasumi felt like she was a teenager again talking to a cute boy she had a crush on. This time was different, she was pregnant, and now she had to tell the father. "Ranma we have to talk about something, come in please." she said and guided him into her room. The two sat on the bed together for a long time in silence until Ranma decided to be the one to speak first.  
  
"What the matter?" he asked her concerned. "Are you alright?"  
  
"Ranma, I have something to tell you, but I'm afraid to tell you." she said.  
  
"You're afraid to, hey if you got something to tell me Kasumi you can say it." he said. "You know I trust you, I won't get mad no matter what it is."  
  
"I went to Dr. Tofu's office today and had some test done." he said. "Ranma, I-I-I'm pregnant." She saw his jaw go slack and his eyes nearly bug out of his head. For a moment she feared that he hated her. She turned away from him and said, "If you hate me for making your life worse than it already is, I'll understand."  
  
Kasumi felt a single, gentle finger tilt her face up. Ranma smiled at her with the kindest and most loving smile she had ever seen on his face. With his other hand he cupped the back of her neck and drew her in and kissed her tenderly. Kasumi sighed and let herself fall against him. Ranma's arms gathered her up and held her close.  
  
"I could never ever hate you and I don't wanna ever hear you talk like that again." he said. "Are you absolutely sure about those tests?"  
  
Kasumi nodded. "Yes, and you're the only man I've ever been with."  
  
"I know its mine." he said hugging her close. "I don't know, somehow I knew this was going to happen."  
  
"What are we going to do?" she asked. "We have to tell father, Akane."  
  
"Kasumi, I'm gonna marry you." Ranma said as he looked into her eyes.  
  
"But-but what about Akane?" she asked.  
  
"She's not pregnant with my baby." he said. "I ain't like my pop, I ain't gonna leave you in the lurch, and I sure as hell ain't gonna let it be illegitimate. I'm gonna take care of you and the baby, I promise."  
  
Tears filled her eyes as joy filled her heart. "Oh Ranma." she said.  
  
"But it sure ain't gonna be easy." he admitted a cloud of sadness passing over his face..  
  
"Ranma, do you love Akane?" she asked him. "Please be honest."  
  
He shook his head and said, "I could never lie to you. I-I can't say that I do or that I don't. I care about her, I worry about her sometimes, but I don't know if I really love her or not. Maybe I did once, after what happened in China I think I did, but now I don't really know."  
  
"What about me?" she asked.  
  
"I think that maybe I love you." he said. "Given time I'm sure that I could. I know I will." Slowly the two lowered each other to the bed and just laid there holding each other in their arms. Kami-sama, she's so pretty., Ranma said to himself. She's so kind, she's so sweet, so innocent.  
  
"We have to decide on when to tell them." Kasumi said.  
  
"Yeah, your right, we gotta tell everybody." Ranma said.  
  
"Tomorrow is a day off from school, right?" she asked.  
  
Ranma nodded and said, "Yeah, tomorrow then."  
  
"Just before dinner, that should give us enough time to figure out how we're going to tell them." Kasumi said and knitted her fingers with Ranma's and grasped them tightly.  
  
"Ranma."  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"I love you."  
  
"I love you too."  
  
"I remember that night in the cave as if it were yesterday." Kasumi said. "I remember your hands, so strong but gentle. Your lips, so soft. It felt so wonderful that night, and I'll never forget it."  
  
"Neither will I." Ranma said and drew Kasumi closer to his body.  
  
"I do have some regrets-" she said.  
  
"About what?" he asked her.  
  
"About how everything started." she said. "About the first day you came and Nabiki and me pushing Akane off on you like that. It-It-It should have been me."  
  
"We can't changed the past." Ranma said quietly and kissed her forehead.  
  
"But I am afraid." she said. "I'm afraid my sister will hate me. I betrayed her trust, I made love with her iinazuke."  
  
"Akane loves you, she'd never hate you." Ranma said hugging her tighter. "I'm as much at fault here as much as you are. I wanted you too that night."  
  
"But, I seduced you." Kasumi said trying to take the blame.  
  
"Listen, stop trying to put blame on yourself and make yourself feel bad." he said. "We did this together, we'll face it together, we'll tell them together and if you don't like it tough."  
  
"Ranma!" she said in surprise and looked at him.  
  
"I ain't gonna marry Akane, I'm gonna marry you." he said. "No matter how much pops and your dad yell at me."  
  
Kasumi sighed, "Knowing my father's track record he will not be all that angry, he will be too happy that the schools are joining."  
  
Ranma suddenly a thought that made him shudder. "What about mom?"  
  
Kasumi did not thing about that. "She already declared you a man among men, I don't know if she would approve or disapprove." she said. "I know she would not disapprove of me being your wife."  
  
"Another thing to worry about are the Amazons." said Ranma. They came back to Nerima right after Josendo and stayed even after the failed wedding attempt. It looked like they were not going to give up. What would happen if they learned Kasumi was carrying his child? His greatest concern was with Cologne, what would she do? He knew she had a hand in Shampoo's actions at the wedding, not just Nabiki, and he would not put anything past the Old Ghoul.  
  
All he did know for certain was that if anyone, including Cologne, hurt Kasumi or his child he would kill them. He killed before, and he would do it again to save the person the loved. In a way he admitted to himself right then and there that he had been in love with Akane, but after the failed wedding things did not improve or get worse between them. It actually stayed the same as before, never moving ahead, never going back. He tried dropping hints about his feelings towards her but she either did not notice them or mistook them for something else. This usually lead to misunderstandings that lead to him getting a free trip across town via mallet power.  
  
"You don't think they tried to hurt me or the baby do you?" Kasumi asked him, a slight quiver of fear in her voice.  
  
"They would regret it if they did." he said. "As long as I'm near I won't let anyone hurt you." In his heart he meant it. To the Amazons he was a "blooded warrior" and a force to be reckoned with. Little did he know that would be a saving grace for them in the near future.  
  
----------  
  
To be continued...  
  
NOTES: As promised this is a slightly rewritten version of the original story correcting some errors and smoothing out flashback scenes. I did say I wanted to add more flashbacks, but they just would not work well in this chapter, so I decided to leave them until chapter 2. Thanks to all the people who reviewed the original and I hope you enjoy this rewrite. Thanks also to Adrian D. Moten for writing the story upon which this is based. 


	2. Chapter 2

DISCLAIMER: Ranma ½ is the registered trademark of Viz Communications, Kitty Films, and Rumiko Takahashi.  
  
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Inspired by Adrian D. Moten's "Kasumi 1/2"  
  
A N E W D I R E C T I O N T A K E N  
  
by Michael "TheZorch" Haney  
  
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Chapter 2  
  
Morning time in Nerima was a quiet time, except if you lived in or around the Tendo Dojo. The calm morning silence was split by the sound of loud battle cries as father and son tore into one another around the koi pond. Saotome Genma was sweating, a lot. He fought his son so many times he had lost count, but today he noticed something was very different. Something was bothering the boy, but instead of distracting him it was making him more aggressive. It took everything he had to keep from being bested by the boy time and again as they met in midair and exchanged a series of complicated, lightning fast blows. It was only a matter of time before his defenses were beaten, and when that happened the Saotome patriarch got a one-way ticket face first into the pond.  
  
"What's gotten into you boy!?" the panda's sign read when he came up.  
  
"Just needed to blow off some steam, thanks for the workout pops." said Ranma as the boy headed into the house towards the bathroom.  
  
"Ranma gave his dad a real thrashing this morning, didn't he." Nabiki commented to Akane who was enjoying a cup of tea. Their father sat oblivious to the world behind his favorite newspaper.  
  
"He's been acting weird ever since he and Kasumi came home." Akane told her.  
  
"I heard he was really buddy buddy with Shampoo and Ukyo yesterday." said Nabiki. Akane's eye twitched when she said that.  
  
"That pervert, he was practically flirting with them right in front of me." Akane growled. The knuckles of her fingers around the tea cup started turning white.  
  
"I also noticed he's been really nice to Kasumi too, and I also noticed that Kasumi's been watching him." said Nabiki.  
  
"What do you mean?" Akane asks her quickly.  
  
Nabiki shrugged, "It could be nothing, I mean they did go through a pretty terrible experience together. It could just be that they became closer because of it, like friends, or brothers and sisters."  
  
"Yeah, but how do you explain the other stuff?" Akane asked.  
  
"Who know, maybe this whole thing made the big baka grow up a little." Nabiki replied and sipped her tea.  
  
I hope that's all it is., Akane said to herself as she looked into her tea. To her surprise and worry a single piece of tea leaf floating on the top of her cup suddenly sank. Normally Akane was not the superstitious type, but somehow seeing that happen made the hairs on the back of her head stand up on end. She could literally feel the tension in the air. Something major was going to happen today, she did not know what or when, but it was not going to be an ordinary day in Nerima for sure.  
  
-----  
  
Ranma winced when he upended the washtub over his head instantly triggering the change. She looked at herself in the full body mirror on the other wall. Ranma-chan, aka Ranko, was every boy's wet dream. She was beautiful, well endowed, and had a body that most girls would kill to possess. There was only one other who looked better than she did, and she hid her beauty in demure dresses and frilly aprons. Take those away and Kasumi was by far the most incredibly beautiful woman Ranma had ever set his/her eyes on. She/he had intimate knowledge of every inch of Kasumi's gorgeous curves, her generous bosom that made Shampoo and Ukyo pail in comparison, and those legs that were so long and supple. After that night in the cave they shared the same bed, and they made love almost every night. Ranma could never tire of her, he wanted it more and more each time, and with each night his feelings for her grew and grew. He remembered how wonderful it felt to lay next to her. Kasumi's body warming him in the chill night air as she lay with her head on his chest with that cute smile on her face. He remembered how incredibly soft and smooth her skin felt to the touch. She was nearly perfect in every way.  
  
A knock at the door drew her out of her thoughts and she realized that certain parts of her female anatomy were showing unmistakable signs.. Ranma knew what these were a sign of. It had taken Kasumi some time to accomplish it, but she had manage to talk Ranma into a little bit of experimentation. Ranma would never look at her female cursed form again the same way. It was no longer a bothersome curse anymore, it was in a way a blessing for it allowed him/her to experience things that normally no other man or woman could ever experience. It had been simply mind blowing.  
  
"Ranma?" she heard Kasumi's sweet, soft voice on the other side.  
  
"Come in." she said.  
  
Kasumi slid open the door and walked in. Before closing the door behind her she looked to make sure nobody he seen or that anyone was looking through the door to the washroom that linked the bathroom to the rest of the house. It would not look good if anyone, especially Akane, found her with Ranma in the bathroom and Ranma was naked.  
  
"Are you alright with today?" Kasumi asked her.  
  
"I guess, I'm a little nervous." replied Ranma.  
  
"I'm terrified." Kasumi admitted.  
  
The red headed, pig tailed martial artist stood and put a hand on the older girl's should. "It'll be ok, we'll explain what happened, our parents'll transfer the engagement to us and we'll get hitched before the baby is due." said Ranma trying to reassure her.  
  
"I still can not shake the feeling that I am only complicating things for you." said Kasumi. "The last thing I want to do is hurt you."  
  
"Kasumi, I want to do this, ok, I want to do this, for you, for the baby, for-for us." Ranma replied. "When it was just us alone on that island, I felt so happy, happier than I could ever remember being in a long time. If being with you means having that kind of happiness then I'm willing to go through anything to marry you."  
  
Kasumi eyes began to tear up as she said, "How could Akane be so blind about what she had?"  
  
"She ain't a bad person, I think maybe what happened with your mom and Kuno and the guys at school were just too much for her, and then I came along and she was forced to get engaged." Ranma explained. "I ain't really surprised by the way she acted."  
  
And they say he does not have a brain in his head, how wrong could they be., Kasumi said to herself with a smile. "I love you, I'd be honored to be your wife." she said.  
  
"Ya better get go'n before they catch us together or it'll be WWIII." Ranma told her. Kasumi nodded in agreement and left quickly. Nabiki noticed Kasumi coming out of the washroom attached to the bathroom. That was not unusual, Ranma was in the bath, but Kasumi usually did go in there when others were in the bath with the door closed to do laundry or put stain remover on her aprons. She just filed the thought away for later, shrugged her shoulders and headed upstairs to do some long overdue manga reading.  
  
-----  
  
Cologne of the Joketsuzoku Amazons of China watched her great grand daughter dance around the cafe serving guests with renewed vigor in her step. It was good to have son-in-law back, his presence put a new spring in Shampoo's step. It had been a frightening six months wondering if Ranma would ever return. When the news reached Nerima that the plane did not make it to Hawaii she began to worry. Cologne could not tell where Ranma was, but in her heart she knew he was alive. She could literally feel his life force clinging to this world. The ancient matriarch knew that as long as Ranma drew breath he would not give up on survival.  
  
There was something that did bother the ancient Amazon. There was something in the air, the winds of change were blowing and she did not know why. Whenever an event such as this occurred in a supernatural hotbed like Nerima it meant real trouble. Cologne was sensitive to these things out of necessity. The Josenkyo valley was not all that different from Nerima ward. She frowned as she concentrated and felt that winds of change blowing in a certain direction. They were headed for the Tendo dojo. Her eyes shot open with surprise, she was not expecting that. If change was coming, and it was centered around the Tendo dojo then it meant only one thing. Something in Ranma's life was going have a dramatic change.  
  
In Cologne's mind she contemplated on what those things might be and the most likely would be him choosing Akane over the other girls. That would matter little in the scheme of things. He was going to marry Shampoo eventually, the law demanded it, there was no more room for any other outcome to the situation. Anything else other than that was outside of the realm of possibility for the ancient Amazon. Ranma was going to marry Shampoo, and that was what was going to happen whether he liked it or not and to hell with any other commitments he made because in the eyes of Amazon law they would be invalid.  
  
Cologne shook her head. That was the old her, the old Cologne who was just getting to know Ranma at the beginning, but today she knew the boy well and knew what he was capable of. He was no ordinary male that could be forced into obeying Amazon law easily, he was like a nuclear bomb on a hairpin trigger. One false most and she and Shampoo would find themselves in a situation they would not want their worst enemy to experience. Cologne decided to have another discussion with Shampoo about what exactly happened at Josendo. If what she heard form Mousse was true Ranma was now beyond her power to manipulate, and that frightened the ancient matriarch.  
  
-----  
  
Ranma was looking for something to keep his mind off what was going to happen later that day. He knew it was going to be a hectic night. His worst fear was what Akane would do or say upon discovering the truth. She made it clear before it she heard he did anything to Kasumi she would kill him. She also said that she trusted him. He had already betrayed that trust, but then so did Kasumi in a way. She was nervous about the same thing, but she was afraid her sister would not love her anymore. Ranma sort of doubted that Akane would stop loving Kasumi because of this, she would be mad at her, but she would not push her out of her life forever. No, that would not happen. He could get kicked out of the house, that was possible, but he knew Tendo Soun and his father too well. They would see this as a way to join the schools, especially since Kasumi was now pregnant. A traditional man like Soun would not want his daughter to go through life seen as a tramp, so him marrying Kasumi was almost one hundred percent assured.  
  
Ranma knew without a doubt, without even having to think about it, that he loved Kasumi with all his heart. He really had to laugh, here he'd been denying that he ever loved Akane and now he was willing to openly admit that he loved Kasumi. Those six months on the island had done more to change him than the ten years he spent on the road with his father. Ranma thought back to do those days. He and Kasumi had the island all to themselves. She was now able to walk around on her own a little with his aid but Ranma still did not want her to go too far. The tables turned one day when he came back from fishing. Ranma was swimming out from the island with a spear in hand catching some rather large fish that lived in the nearby reef. He did not know what they were, but he knew from experience with his father that they were edible. That was when he ran into the thing. He did not know what it was, Ranma did not know its name. All he knew was he could barely see it in the water it was so translucent. It was almost like a ghost as it moved through the water. The next thing he knew his danger sense went off and he wiped around and could barely see another, and another. He was surrounded by the things, then he felt it, a great burning sensation on his arm. Ranma yelled out, his voice muffled by the water, and dozens of places on his body began to burn as if on fire. He did not know how he made it to shore. He could vaguely remember laying on the sand, Kasumi was running towards him crying out his name. Her face was lined with tears. Snippets of memory would appear, Kasumi applying the disinfectant salve he made from some of the local plants, Kasumi trying to get him to eat some pineapple that she ground into the consistency of apple sauce so he could swallow it easier. Ranma did not know how long he had been out, it was night when he woke up. Looking around he saw Kasumi laying next to him, cuddled up against him to keep him warm. Feeling him stir, Kasumi woke and upon seeing him awake she grabbed him into an embrace that would have made Shampoo jealous. That night was the third night since their first time in the cave that they made love. It was special to them that night, it was not just sex, they were two people who deeply cared for one another enjoying an intimate time together. Perhaps, he realized, that was when he started to really love her.  
  
The distraction Ranma needed was running down the street whooping and hollering as he ran. A huge mob of girls, all of them beautiful young coeds from the local college were chasing behind him kicking up a huge cloud of dust as they ran. They screamed and yelled at him brandishing all sorts of weapons from bokken to gardening tools. Ranma caught himself looking at one of the more well endowed girls, a cute thing wearing a tight t-shirt without any sign of a bra. He shook his head to get rid of the thoughts. He had them when he was with Shampoo and Ukyo the other day, and he knew why. He was a changed man. Before being with Kasumi he was not really sure what being with a girl was really like, what making love was really all about. His father never really gave him the old talk about the birds and the bees so he was left to his own devices in that department. Now he knew the pleasures of women, he was aware of his effect on the opposite set, and so some part of him went his ego inflate by several feet at the thought of it.  
  
With a casual jump, a superhuman leap by any other normal standards, Ranma flew down towards the street the old pervert of running. Happosai's only indication that anyone was around near him was the passing of a shadow overhead. A second later he felt a foot mash him into the ground stopping him in his tracks.  
  
"Don't you ever get tired of stealing panties, old geezer." Ranma said shaking his head. He picked up the huge bundle of undergarments, the smell of perfume from them nearly made him fall over. He had never noticed that before from the stuff Happosai plundered. With a mere twitch of his hand Ranma sent the bundle flying towards the on rushing girls. The first three in the group caught the huge sack, look at the bag and back at the boy who tossed it to them. They sat the old man laying face first on the ground with his foot on top of his head, and nearly all of them started to swoon. Ranma flashed them his best smile, not really knowing what effect he was having, but the sparky look in the eyes of many of the girls gave him an indication.  
  
"Here you go, make sure you hit him a few times for me." said Ranma as he tossed the old man at the girls. The parted as the old man landed among them, then the onslaught began. When they were done the girls looked up to see where the boy had gone, but he was nowhere to be seen.  
  
"Who, who was that gorgeous hunk?" one of them asked.  
  
"You don't know, that was Saotome Ranma." said another.  
  
"You don't mean 'the' Saotome Ranma, the one I've been hearing about?" a tall blond with breasts that seemed to defy gravity asked.  
  
"The same." the other girl replied.  
  
"He was dreamy." a shorter girl who seemed younger than the others swooned.  
  
A taller but still young looking girl said, "Yeah, but you should see him when he's splashed with cold water."  
  
"Huh?" they all said at once.  
  
"Just a rumor I heard, but I hear if you get him wet he looks so good you'd piss your pants." the girl said.  
  
"Rein in your hormones girls, I hear he's already taken, an arranged married or something like that." said another girl. A collective groan rose from the mob.  
  
"If figures, the best looking guy in this whole weirded out ward and he's already taken." another said with a sigh. He girls all turned around and headed back to their dorm leaving a very badly mangled Happosai laying the ground with a hoe sticking out of his head.  
  
-----  
  
Saotome Nodoka watched Kasumi with a casual eye as she sipped her tea. The young woman was outside in the yard hanging up clothes to dry. If she did not know any better she would say the girl was acting very nervously. She noticed that Kasumi was jumpy this morning, the slightest things startled her and made her jump. The Saotome Matriarch also took note that the woman did not start acting like this since that phone call from that handsome young Dr. Tofu. She also took note of a few other observations, for one thing Kasumi has been very nice to her son, but then Kasumi was always very nice to Ranma but somehow this seemed different. Ranma was also being very nice to Kasumi, also nothing out of the ordinary, but it seemed to have a greater meaning now. Nodoka smiled as she thought about it and let her eye wander to Akane who was watching some show on the television with Nabiki. She decided that file the younger girl was distracted she would go and have a talk with Kasumi.  
  
Kasumi's nerves were frayed. She had been jumping at the slightest thing that morning and she knew it was because she was so nervous about tonight. So, when she felt a dainty hand touch her shoulder Kasumi nearly leapt out of her skin. When she was it Auntie Saotome she visibly relaxed.  
  
"You seem on edge today, Kasumi dear." the older woman said. "Is there anything wrong?"  
  
"N-N-Nothing is wrong, Auntie Saotome." Kasumi stammered as she bent down to pick up more clothes.  
  
"You are a very bad liar dear." Nodoka said with a smile. Her smile widened when Kasumi yelped a bit and dropped the shirt she was picking up. "Please, if there is something bothering you then you should not keep it bottled up."  
  
Kasumi sighed and looked into the house at her little sister. Her attention was focused on the television screen. "I can't talk about it here." she said.  
  
The older woman grabbed the girl's hand and quickly lead her towards the dojo. "I see, then lets get away from prying ears." she said. She looked towards the house to make certain two certain men and one certain girl with a pageboy's haircut were not watching. Nodoka closed the door to the dojo behind her and look at Kasumi with a start as the girl began to cry.  
  
"Kasumi dear, what is it?" she asked her. "You've been acting like you're afraid of your own shadow all day. Please don't cry."  
  
"Oh Auntie, I'm not sure what to do." Kasumi said as she wiped her eyes.  
  
"If I knew what was bothering you I might be able to help." Nodoka offered. "Is it that young doctor?" Kasumi shook her head.  
  
"No." she replied.  
  
"Is it my son?" Nodoka asked her.  
  
"I-I-I'm afraid for him." Kasumi said nervously.  
  
Nodoka's eyebrow went up at that in a classic Spock Maneuver. "I don't understand, what would be happening to my son that would have you so afraid for him that you're jumping at the slightest thing?" she asked the younger woman.  
  
The Saotome matriarch nearly jumped out of her skin when Kasumi turned around quickly and embraced her. Sobs wracked the woman's body for a few minutes. Nodoka just held the girl and whispered encouraging words into her ear. When look like her sobbing was slowing down Nodoka held the woman out at arm's length.  
  
"Kasumi dear, are you in love with my son?" she asked her.  
  
"Y-Y-Yes." the young woman replied through trembling lips. My son is so manly, to have stolen Kasumi's heart so throughly., Nodoka said to herself.  
  
"Does he know?" Nodoka asked her. She did another Spock Maneuver when Kasumi nodded her head yes. "Then why are you so frightened?" she asked her.  
  
Kasumi's face suddenly grew bright red. She turned away from Nodoka in embarrassment before replying, "Auntie, I'm, I'm-"  
  
"You can say it dear." Nodoka said soothingly putting her hand on the girl's shoulder.  
  
"I'm pregnant with his baby." Kasumi told her while not looked at her.  
  
YES!, Nodoka's heart cried out. It took every ounce of will power the older woman had to keep her composure and not dancing around the dojo with the younger woman. "It happened when you were on that island, didn't it." she said keeping her voice as normal as possible. Anyone who looked at her could see the unadulterated joy in the woman's eyes. She was going to be a grandmother.  
  
Kasumi nodded, "I know you must be disappointed in us."  
  
"Disappointed?" Nodoka said with surprise. "Why would I be disappointed?"  
  
"Auntie Saotome?" Kasumi looked up at the woman in wonder.  
  
She found herself grabbed up in a tight hug that would have made Shampoo green with envy. "Oh dear, you've made me so very happy." Nodoka beamed. "I knew something was going on, but I just couldn't put my finger on it until now."  
  
"I only hope poor little Akane can cope with this." Nodoka added as she released the girl. "She seemed like the best choice for him in the beginning, but now I'm really sure anymore."  
  
Kasumi wiped the new tears away and said, "Ranma wants to marry me, when I told him I was pregnant with his child he made the decision right there and then to marry me."  
  
My son is very manly!, Nodoka beamed inwardly.  
  
"Why I'm afraid is what will happen once it all gets out." Kasumi explained to her. "I don't know how father will react, or Uncle Saotome, or any of Ranma's other suitors-"  
  
"You leave those other girls to me dear, I'm his mother and they have to listen to me and abide by my wishes." Nodoka told her. "As for your father and my husband you can leave them to me as well." The older woman reached back and pulled out the wrapped katana blade she wore on her back.  
  
"I will make sure they behave themselves." she said. "When do you plan on telling the family?"  
  
"We were planning on telling them before dinner tonight." said Kasumi.  
  
Nodoka grinned, "Alright, you and I will work on making tonights dinner really special." She reached into her kimono and withdrew a small pouch. She untied the string holding it closed and let the contents fall into her other hand. Kasumi's eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets when she saw what it was.  
  
"Surprised?" Nodoka smiled at her. "Even Genma doesn't know, but then it is better that he never does know. It is inevitable he will find out, but they the time he does it will be too late for him to do anything about it."  
  
"H-H-How?" Kasumi asked her in surprise.  
  
Nodoka let the blue sapphires in her hand fall back into the pouch. "I'm surprised your sister Nabiki did not already discover the truth about the Saotome clan." said Nodoka.  
  
"The truth?" Kasumi looked at her questioningly.  
  
"Why yes dear, the truth." said the older woman. "The Saotome Clan are the third richest family in all of Japan. We don't really advertise our wealth and choose not to live in the extreme lap of luxury like other families I could mention."  
  
"But, if you're family is rich how is it that Uncle Saotome doesn't know?" asked Kasumi.  
  
Nodoka gave her a sad smile, "My father did not like Genma when we started seeing one another. But he loves me so, and though I married Ranma's father against my father's wishes he could not find it in his heart to disown me."  
  
"I made a promise to my father that I would never reveal the family secret to my husband until our son was old enough to take care of himself." Nodoka went on. "Now, it seems he is quite capable of doing that, and he has a child on the way." She reached out and brushed a few hairs out of the woman's face.  
  
"I know Ranma will be so happy to spend the rest of his life with you dear." she said. "Of course, I am expecting more than just one grandchild." Nodoka gave the girl a sheepish grin and Kasumi instantly turned bright red. Oh yes, she will definitely make him very happy., Nodoka thought to herself as she envisioned all the grandchildren she was going to have.  
  
"Tell me dear, who was the one who started it?" Nodoka asked her.  
  
Kasumi looked down at the floor as she said in a near whisper, "Me."  
  
She looked up in surprised as Nodoka withdrew a piece of paper out of her kimono. Kasumi knew what it was, it was the paper containing the seppoku pledge that Genma and Ranma had signed before leaving for their training trip. "Auntie?"  
  
"I have seen enough evidence, my son is more than just a man among men, he has exceeded the requirements of the pledge." said Nodoka as she took the scroll in both hands and ripped it in half. "I will no longer require my son to uphold it. Now and forever, in my eyes, he will be a more than a man among men." If he is so manly that even someone like Kasumi would initiate intimacy, then how could I hold him to the promise any longer., she said to herself smiling with joy.  
  
"Now, go clean yourself up, don't let the others see that you've been crying." she told the younger woman. "When you are done we'll go and do some shopping for that dinner tonight." She gave the younger woman a knowing wink.  
  
"Yes, Auntie." Kasumi nodded with a smile.  
  
"Ah ah, don't call me Auntie anymore." Nodoka waved a finger at her. "Call me mother."  
  
Kasumi blushed, "Alright, mother."  
  
-----  
  
"SAOTOME PREPARE TO DIE!!!"  
  
Ranma was at odds with himself, those words used to make him angry, but right now they were the most beautiful words in the world to him. The pigtailed martial artist dodged three yellow bandanna shuriken and one bamboo umbrella before alighting to the ground in a fighting stance.  
  
"Yo, P-Chan, its been a while man, how's it hang'in?" he asked the Lost Boy.  
  
"How dare you get yourself lost on a deserted island for six months!" cried Ryoga. "The anguish in Akane's eyes when I saw her last was enough to shatter my heart of glass. I'll make you pay for making her sad!"  
  
Ranma looked and sighed, "It wasn't as if I could help crashing on that island, bacon breath."  
  
"And to top it off you got stranded on that island with Kasumi, I bet you had your way with her didn't you!" Ryoga yelled at him. He did not notice Ranma's sudden wince.  
  
The Lost Boy did not get to deliver his punch as Ranma's foot came up and smashed into his chin. "Get your pig brain out of the gutter, baka!" he snarled. Ryoga went down where he stood, then recovered from the blow almost instantly. Ranma barely noticed the move he was doing next until he noticed that Ryoga had his index finger pointed towards the ground.  
  
"Bakusai Tenketsu!" Ryoga cried and the sidewalk exploded. All right, now this is a diversion I was looking for., thought Ranma as he deflected pieces of concrete at Amaguriken speed.  
  
"Kachuu Tenshin Amaguriken!" the pigtailed martial artist cried throwing himself into the fight. The Lost Boy raised his arms letting them take the brunt of Ranma's assault. From the way his arms were stinging when the attack was done Ryoga knew they were going to sore for a long in the morning. He also realized that Ranma as fighting all out, he wasn't holding back, just like he usually did when he fought him. Ryoga's eyes went wide, even though he fought all out, Ranma always held back a little, now he was fighting him all out, and Ryoga knew just how powerful Ranma was when fighting all out.  
  
"Time to end this." the bandanna wearing boy muttered under his breath. He began by focusing his ki and drawing up on the emotions within his heart. He dredged up memories of Akane's saddened face when she told him that Ranma and Kasumi were missing at sea, and of the day she told him she hated him. Of course, it did not matter that he asked her to say it so he could master the Shi Shi Hokadon, but even so the words she said had hurt him more than any of Ranma's punches.  
  
"Uh, oh, I think I pushed the baka a little too much." Ranma thought out loud.  
  
"ULTIMATE SHI SHI HOKADON!!!" a pillar of ki shot up into the sky forming into a ball. Ranma braced himself focusing his ki into his body so he could withstand the blast. The red ki energy turned the world around him crimson as it smashed into the ground tearing a large, smoking crated out of the earth where they stood. Ranma remained standing, the punishment he suffered under Prince Herb and Saffron served to toughen him to a level that was even greatest than the Bakusai Tenketsu training.  
  
"Geeze, Ryoga you really are pathetic." Ranma shook his head. "Can't ya think of a better reason to fight me than this?"  
  
"Shut up Ranma, all you've done is hurt that girl since you two got engaged." Ryoga spat back at him.  
  
Ranma pointed at himself, "I hurt her, uh, who is it who keeps getting clobbered by that kawaiikun tomboy for just about every reason under the sun. And you say I hurt her?"  
  
"You get clobbered because you're always insulting either her looks or her cooking." said Ryoga.  
  
"First of all, her cooking should be classified as a lethal weapon, and second I can't help it if she's so self-conscious about her body." Ranma growled back at him. "If she'd act like a regular girl rather than a boy all the time she might actually be kawaii."  
  
Ryoga took at swing at him with his umbrella but missed by a mile as Ranma's body blurred as he dodged. "Don't talk about her like that!" he cried.  
  
"Its the truth, and then there's that temper of hers." Ranma went on. "I thought you were the angriest person in the world, man was I wrong, that girl has more rage in her little finger than you do in your entire body."  
  
"You'd better stop!" Ryoga snarled angrily.  
  
"Guess who will be feeling the full force of that anger once a certain tomboy discovers the truth about her little pet piggy." Ranma told him with a smirk. That made Ryoga calm down considerably.  
  
"Uh, well, I'll tell her it was your fault." the Lost Boy replied.  
  
"Won't work, you know that girl is on a witch hunt for guys who are hentai, and you'd be at the top of her most wanted mallet target list." said Ranma.  
  
Ryoga calmed down even more and just sat there on the ground looking at his hands. He's right, if Akane finds out I'm a dead man!, Ryoga's thoughts cried out in panic. "I guess you're right." he said, then looked up at the pigtailed boy angrily. "You told her!"  
  
"No, but its only a matter of time before she finds out." Ranma replied. "The curse works using cold and hot water, I know it happened when I was trying to hide from my mom as Ranko, so don't think it won't happen to you too."  
  
"Dammit!" Ryoga punched the ground causing cracks to form around the impact site. Miles away seismic detectors registered a brief but powerful tremor. If Akane hates me because she finds out my secret my heart of glass will shatter forever., Ryoga wept silently.  
  
"Buddy, I'm sorry I knocked ya into that spring a long time ago." Ranma said in a softer tone that Ryoga thought was very uncharacteristic of his rival. "I wasn't think'in and stuff. I was really sore at pops for take'in me there and all. I'm sorry."  
  
Ryoga just looked at him in surprise, "Why are you being so nice, Ranma?" Whenever Ranma started acting out-of-character that usually meant he was up to something.  
  
I'm trying to help you baka., Ranma though to himself. "I just wanted to apologize, can't a guy do that?" he asked him. Ryoga shook his head.  
  
"Its not that, you usually don't act this nice unless you're either hiding something, or you ya got something sneaky planned." said Ryoga.  
  
"I ain't got nothing sneaking planned." said Ranma. I'm just about to break the heart of a really kawaii girl I thought I was in love with once, and I actually killed a god to protect her., he said to himself.  
  
"It just seems, strange to me that you're being so nice to me." said Ryoga still not very convinced.  
  
Once you find out Akane is free, you might change your tune., thought Ranma. "Let just say be'in on that island helped me put a lota things in respective." Ranma explained.  
  
"Ya mean perspective." Ryoga corrected him.  
  
Ranma shrugged his shoulders, "That's what I said, baka."  
  
"Well, I'm leaving on a training trip." Ryoga told him as he retrieved his umbrella and backpack. "I don't know when I'll be back."  
  
Don't come back too soon., Ranma said inwardly. "That's for sure." Ranma smirked at him.  
  
Ryoga growled at him as he shrugged on the back and put the umbrella in its place. "I would stay to say goodbye to Akane, but I really need to get going." he said, then jabbed a finger in Ranma's face. "But when I get back its you and me, and this time I'll knock that lousy smirk off your face."  
  
"You're welcome to try P-Chan-UGH!" Ranma started to say, but when he began the "P" word Ryoga punched him in the gut.  
  
"Who ya call'in P-Chan!" he snarled.  
  
"Anyway, I'll be seeing ya Ranma." Ryoga turned as Ranma fell to one knee gasping for breath and clutching his stomach. "Let that be an example of what's in store for ya when I get back."  
  
"I'm gonna-ah-really owe-uh-ya for that one, pig boy." Ranma groaned as he rubbed the sore spot on his chest.  
  
-----  
  
The market was bustling with people from all over Nerima and Furinken. Kasumi was a well know regular to the shops and stalls that dotted the street here. Many of the shop owners knew her by name, more than a few considered her a good friend, and one or two actually found themselves wondering if she was married or not. They knew about Dr. Tofu's infatuation with the girl. Little did they know that things were about to change in Nerima in a big way. It was like the lull before the storm as Kasumi and her mother-in-law to be went from shop to shop picking up the things they would need for tonights big dinner.  
  
"Ranma's favorite is takuyaki." Kasumi told the old woman.  
  
"Then we'll have to pick up a case for him." Nodoka smiled.  
  
"Thank you for helping me au-mother." smiled Kasumi.  
  
Nodoka smiled at her happily, "Nothing is too good for the mother of my dear son's child. Besides, tonight is a very special night for the two of you."  
  
"It isn't like tonight is our wedding night." Kasumi blushed furiously.  
  
"I know," Nodoka replied. "But you and Ranma will be announcing your engagement tonight. That is something very special in my eyes."  
  
Kasumi sighed, "I'm a bit worried about Akane and how she will handle all of this."  
  
Nodoka stopped and put a hand on the younger woman's shoulder. "She will be hurt, but from what I've seen since moving in with your family and from what I have heard I think loosing my son will do her some good."  
  
"Nani?" Kasumi looked up at her in confusion.  
  
"Akane is still very immature for her age." Nodoka explained to her. "This out of control temper of hers is a prime example. I was her hit my son no less than twenty times since we moved into the Tendo home, and most of them were for reasons that were not Ranma's fault."  
  
"I kept quiet about it, my hope was that Ranma would get fed up with her hitting him." Nodoka continued. "I know he does not like to hit girls, but Akane certainly deserves a good slap to make her wake up. This is just what she needs to mature emotionally and stop hiding her feelings. It is only hurting herself and those around her if she doesn't stop."  
  
"I never thought about it that way." said Kasumi.  
  
Nodoka smiled brightly, "Dear, I'm not blind, I know she loves Ranma, but not admitting to that love is hurting her and my son. I have seen how he has drifted from her over the past few months."  
  
"You mean he's fallen out of love with her before what happened between us?" Kasumi asked her in surprise.  
  
"I watched it happen soon after the wedding attempt." Nodoka nodded. "I saw Ranma drift away from her, but he did not drift towards anyone else except for you. I guess being alone with you on that island allowed him to express feelings that maybe he wasn't aware of at the time."  
  
Kasumi gasped in sudden understanding, "Oh my." He has been in love with more for a long time then., she realized.  
  
"Would you be happy being with my son, dear?" the Saotome matriarch asked her.  
  
Kasumi blushed, "I love him, aun-mother. I love him with every fiber of my being. I've never loved someone as much as I love him."  
  
Nodoka was literally glowing with joy and pride upon hearing this. "When I think back it makes me regret ever pushing Akane onto him like I did." said Kasumi. "To think of all the time we lost, all the time we could have had to get to know one another and let our feelings for each other grow."  
  
"We can't change the past Kasumi dear, but we can look towards the future and we can learn from our mistakes of the past so that we don't relive them." Nodoka replied. "We're almost done with our shopping, is there anywhere else we need to go?"  
  
"I know a great place that sells fresh takuyaki with seaweed." Kasumi smiled happily.  
  
Nodoka beamed at her, "Lead the way dear."  
  
-----  
  
Nabiki did not like being in the dark, out of the loop, not in the know. She was definitely not in the loop when it came to figuring out what was going on. She watched through the corner of her eye as Ranma's mother suddenly dragged Kasumi towards the dojo. She knew better than to try and eaves drop on them. There were few people in Nerima who could match wits with her, and Nabiki discovered early on that Ranma's mother was one of them. In fact, Auntie Saotome was almost more than a match for her own unique abilities. This worried Nabiki to no end, she did not like being kept in the dark about something. She knew something was up with Kasumi and somehow it involved Ranma. Only a person who was deaf, dumb and blind would not have noticed the way those two people were acting around one another. She looked over at her sister and thought that maybe there were exceptions to the deaf, dumb and blind thing. Her father and Mr. Saotome did not seem to notice the change in Ranma and Kasumi's attitude since they returned. They assumed it was because they were closer friends due to their experience. Nabiki though could not shake the feeling that it ran deeper than that. If that was so, she hoped Akane was prepared for the worse.  
  
It was unlikely that anything at all was happening between Ranma and Kasumi, she could not really see those two together like that, but stranger things have happened around the Tendo dojo since the pigtailed boy showed up. Even she ran the gambit of being the boy's finance for a short time. It had been pretty tempting to keep him, after all he was well built for a guy, very handsome, and with his strength and stamina would probably be a demon in the bed if he could get over his shyness with girls. He was not as shy with woman as Ryoga was, but Ranma was definitely not the worldly type when it came to sex. Nabiki though saw how much Akane loved Ranma, though her younger sister would not admit to how she felt, so she arranged to make Ranma so upset that he would go running back to Akane begging for forgiveness. It nearly backfired on her when Ranma got up the nerve to try and scam her, but she proved to be more than a match for the pigtailed wonder in the brains department. This situation was different, somehow Nabiki could feel it was very different. Change was in the air, she was no mystic, she trusted probability and statistics, but if she were superstitious at all she would have said the flow of fate around the Tendo dojo has suddenly shifted.  
  
Kasumi and Nodoka left to go shopping, now was the time to do some research and find out what was going on for real. Nabiki had no qualms about reading Akane's private journal, she did it a number of times, but invading Kasumi's private life was something that took Nabiki a while to convince herself to do. Acting in any way like this against Kasumi seemed like a horror affront a sin. She was more than just her older sister, she was like her namesake the calm mists that shrouded the gates to heaven. So, Nabiki was careful not to disturb anything in her older sister's room as she crept in and looked for her journal. It did not take long to find it. Kasumi kept it right on her small writing desk. Nabiki leafed through the pages until she came to the entries just after her return from the ordeal in the South Pacific.  
  
Nabiki gasped as she read what was written in her sister's elegant handwriting and put a hand to mouth an absolute, unadulterated shock. Unable to read any more she closed the book, put it back into its place, and quickly exited the room. When her own door was closed behind her Nabiki leaned against her door and slid down to the floor.  
  
"Oh sis, I hope this is what you want." she whispered to herself.  
  
"I can't believe it, I just can't believe it." she shook her head, but there was no denying what she read there. Kasumi was in love with Ranma, and he reciprocated that love. That much she could already guess at the way Kasumi was acting around the boy, but the things that happened on the island were way more than what she could have imagined. Not only did Ranma show affection towards her older sister, but they had actually become loves. Intimate lovers! If she had read farther she would have come to the entry telling about Dr. Tofu's tests. Nabiki did not know it, but tonight she was going to be in for one for shocking revelation.  
  
"Akane, this is really going to hurt her." Nabiki said in a sobering voice. "But then I'm not all that surprise its come to this. She was bound to loose him with the way she's been treating him lately." With that thought spoken out loud she decided to wash her hands of the whole thing and let it run its course. If anything came of this so be it, it would change little, her younger sister would be available again, and Ranma would still be around.  
  
-----  
  
Nodoka knew Kasumi was a nervous wreck. The young woman was literally shaking as she chopped the carrots and tubers for their stir fry dish. She looked up from own work and noticed Ranma alight in the backyard after flying over the wall that surrounded the Tendo home. His clothes were ruffled, evidence that he'd been in a fight, and he had a smudge of lipstick on his cheek. This was evidence that he either ran into Shampoo or Ukyo. She decided it would be best to intercept him before Akane did. One glimpse of that love mark and her son would be flying to parts unknown courtesy Air Akane. For now she needed her son here at home, that and she wanted to talk to him.  
  
Ranma was in high spirits. He had a run in with Ryoga, then a fight with Mousse which turned out to be a good workout. Shampoo decided to break up the fight near the end by punting the myopic martial artist into the nearest canal triggering his curse. After spending about an hour prying the amorous girl off of him and fighting the urge to throw her on the ground and screwing hell out of her he got away. His flight from the Amazon ended up with him arriving at Ucchan's Okonomiyaki, the restaurant owned by Ukyo. The beautiful chef proved to be just as "friendly" as Shampoo and it took even more will power for Ranma to resist the urges within his loins to seek release. After getting into a near make out session with the girl, which was where he got the lipstick mark from, he escaped only to run directly into Kuno Kodachi. By the time he got away from her he was really wanting a cold shower, and to hell with what cold water did to him. It was better than all of the unclean thoughts he had about the leotard clad girl and all the things he could have done with her to make her scream his name. Thinking about and desiring sex was like second nature to Saotome Ranma now. It was all thanks to Kasumi, but he could not be angry with the girl over his latest troubles. No, he loved her very much, she was going to be the mother of his child, and there was nothing in the world he would not do for her. The least he could do was stay faithful to her and not have sex with anyone else but her. Thus, Ranma pushed his self-control to its limits and came away with just a kiss mark on his cheek to show for it. It was a good test, but damn he wanted those girls so bad he could taste it. The last thing he needed was to have a bunch of a girls chasing after him with bulging stomachs claiming that the kids was his. He did not want to put Kasumi into a situation like that. She deserved better, but what she wanted in her hearts was "him", so he was going to make damn sure he stayed hers. These challenges he faced willingly today proved how much in his heart he loved her. He felt good though he was tired and so horny even a knothole on the tree was starting to look sexy.  
  
Geeze, and Akane's been call'in me a hentai all this time, I wonder what she'd say if she found out she was right, at least right now that is?, he wondered as he alighted to the ground at the Tendo residence. It was at that moment he remember he forgot to get rid of the evidence of his all too brief almost-make out session with Ukyo. He was in a near panic then noticed his mother was coming out of the house with a wash cloth. Smiling sheepishly at him she walked up and wiped away the "evidence" with one gentle swipe.  
  
"Have an interesting day son?" she asked him.  
  
"Uh, ya could say that mom." he replied.  
  
"Who did that belong to?" Nodoka asked him with a smile.  
  
He looked down at his hands and said, "Ukyo."  
  
"It is natural for young men to be attracted to beautiful girls, Ranma." his mother explained. "I for one am surprised that I'm not already surrounded by grandchildren considering how lovely your iinazuke are. You're will power must be as formidable as I've heard."  
  
When up against someone like Kasumi though its as fragile as rice paper., thought Ranma with a slight shiver as he remember what the oldest of the three Tendo sisters look like in the buff. He thought Shampoo was gorgeous, but she was no match for Kasumi.  
  
"My son is so manly." Nodoka swooned making Ranma roll his eyes.  
  
"I need to speak to you." Nodoka said in a tone that sobered Ranma up instantly. "I had a long talk with Kasumi today."  
  
Oh shit!, thought Ranma. "Uh, about what mom?" he asked her trying to look innocent.  
  
He noticed she was on the verge of tears and he was afraid he really upset her, but what she said next surprised him. "Have I ever told you how so very proud I am of you, my dear, wonderful, incredibly handsome, and manly son?" she said, it was more a statement than a question.  
  
"She's a wonderful choice, I wholeheartedly approved." she whispered so only they could hear. "I will do all I can to keep your father and Mr. Tendo in line when you tell the family about your decision tonight." She gave a knowing wink. Ranma could not say a word, he was in absolute shock. His mother knew about Kasumi's pregnancy, she knew he cheated on Akane and got her older sister knocked up and she was not angry. She was in fact dancing around on cloud nine. Well of course, this is same woman who said you should keep the other girls as mistresses, duh!, he realized as he finally came out of his trance.  
  
"Thanks mom." he whispered back.  
  
"I can't wait to see if its going to a boy or a girl." Nodoka said in an excited whisper. "My first grandchild, and hopefully not my last." She smiled at him as she saw the blush that traveled up from his shoulders and covered his face.  
  
"I never wanted to hurt Akane." Ranma said shaking his head.  
  
"I know, you loved her once didn't you, but I've noticed how the two of you have drifted apart." Nodoka observed. "I can't say that I am sad that nothing came of your relationship, the two of you have been through so much. My hope is though that you two can at least be friends when the dust of what is about to happen tonight finally settles."  
  
"Uh, I'm expecting the dust to fly for a few weeks at least." said Ranma. "Especially after Shampoo, Ukyo and Kodachi find out what happened." Man, they are all going to slaughter me., he thought. Would he do it all over again if it meant he could experience being in Kasumi's loving arms again, her gentle kisses? The answer in his heart was a resounding "yes".  
  
"You are so manly, my son, to actually get a girl like Kasumi to open up like she did proves it." she reached out for his hand and placed something into it. Ranma looked down with surprise. In his hand were two wrinkled up pieces of paper. He unfolded them and saw it was the seppoku agreement. It had been torn in half.  
  
"I don't need any more proof of your manliness, you are free now and forever of that horrible pact that kept you away from me for so long." she told him. "I wish to Kami-sama that I never agreed to that dammed thing to begin with. I want my most precious gift in the whole world to trust me again."  
  
Ranma grabbed her up into a hug with tears in his eyes. "I love you momma." he said.  
  
"I love you too." Nodoka replied wiping tears from her eyes.  
  
Kasumi wiped a few tears from her eyes as she watched them. She noticed Nabiki and Akane looking at them with curious expressions on their faces. Even her father and Genma were watching them. Dinner was almost done, soon it would be time.  
  
-----  
  
"WOW, what a spread, what's the occasion Kasumi?" Akane asked as her older sister and Ranma's mother began to set the table. She took note that all the dishes were all of Ranma's favorite. There was takuyaki with seaweed, sukiyaki, several of his favorite Chinese dishes, but no ramen. In all it was a four course dinner with fresh squid ready to be grilled on the hibachi setup nearly the door to the back porch. Truly something very special had to have happened for them to go about making this huge of a dinner for just the family. Akane noticed that Nabiki was a little on edge this evening. She had been like that most of the afternoon but said there was nothing wrong. Nabiki was usually very good at hiding her feelings but something must have really rattled the girl for it to show.  
  
Ranma tried not to look nervous either, he could see Kasumi was doe eyed and frightened, but his mother was there at her side to encourage her. He thanked the Kami for his mom, she was doing a lot to help make this a pleasant experience rather than a disaster. He was so afraid that all of this would backfire and cause nothing but grief. He looked over at Akane who was right now looking at Nabiki. He did love her once, he could admit it now. He once loved her as much as he loved Kasumi now, but it was gone. Well, not totally gone, he still cared deeply for her but he did not love her that way anymore. If she had only taken the few hints he had dropped about his feelings maybe things would be different, but she did not and so here he was sitting at the dinner table waiting for Kasumi and his mother to finish bringing out the food. When they were done, they would say their peace and Akane's world would come crashing down around her ears. There was no escaping it anymore. Ranma put off telling her how he felt about her because he was afraid she did not love him, he was afraid of being hurt, and now he was paying for it. In a way she was doing the same thing, and the price had been their chance to be together. Perhaps it done by the Kami deliberately to help the two of them mature emotionally so that they could find their true loves, or maybe it was just pure chance that they ended up being engaged to one another. Which ever it was, it was going to end tonight and new chapter was going to be opened in the life of Saotome Ranma.  
  
"Yes, are we celebrating anything today?" asked Soun.  
  
Kasumi blushed a bit and replied, "In a way yes and no. I'll explain in a bit."  
  
"All of this food must have cost a fortune." said Nabiki as she ran the possible prices of some of the dishes on the table through her head and ran it against what she knew was the family food budget. This one dinner alone was worth about two weeks worth of regular means. Where did Kasumi get the money to pay for all of this?, she wondered to herself.  
  
"We need to have a family meeting before we eat dinner, so everyone at the table please." Nodoka said as she brought out the last thing from the kitchen, the tea service.  
  
"What about Auntie Saotome?" asked Akane. She took note of the brief sad look in the woman's eyes when she looked her way but did not think anything of it.  
  
"Akane." Kasumi spoke up. "Do you love Ranma?" Akane looked at her with a shocked expression. That was a very odd question to ask her right now. Was this the subject of the family meeting. Were they trying to plan another wedding for her and Ranma. If that was so she wanted no part in it. Her reply came fast, and as usually she did not think before blurting the words out.  
  
"Of course not, why would I love that hentai!"  
  
Kasumi sighed deeply, she hoped that Akane would have at least tried to say what she felt for Ranma, but it seemed she was still in denial. It would all be moot in a few minutes anyway. "So you don't want to marry my son then?" asked Nodoka.  
  
"I've said it before and I'll say it again, I will not marry him!" Akane yelled her reply. What is going on, why are they asking me this?, Akane asked herself and totally ignoring the warning signals going off in her head.  
  
"Then, if you had a way to get out of his engagement would you take it?" Nodoka asked her.  
  
Akane smiled at her, the warning klaxon in her head were screaming now, "What do you mean?"  
  
"What if I told you that you had two options." the Saotome matriarch told her. She held up her hands, in one hand was an ornate ring that Akane recognized as an engagement ring, in the other was a scroll. "If you choose the hand with the ring you will keep your engagement to Ranma and you will marry him within the week. If you choose the hand with the scroll your obligation to the Tendo family will be considered fulfilled and you will no longer had the burden of being Ranma's iinazuke."  
  
Mom's been watching that American movie about that computer network thing that turns people into batteries again., thought Ranma. "Tonight is the only night you get this choice." Nodoka added. "Pass it up and a decision will be made for you."  
  
"Excuse me, but were exactly are you gong with this Mrs. Saotome?" Soun asked her.  
  
"Please bare with me, Soun dear." Nodoka told him. "And Genma, dear, I see that look in your eye, remember that I still have the family sword with me, so behave."  
  
"I don't understand, why are you doing this?" Akane asked the woman.  
  
Nodoka looked at her with that sad expression again and said, "I want to know how you really feel about my son. Do you truly love him enough to marry him now, or do you want to be free of this engagement?"  
  
"Why all the theatrics Auntie, why not just come out and say what you are going to say." said Nabiki.  
  
"You know something?" Akane looked her first oldest sister questioningly.  
  
"Maybe I do, but I've chosen not to get too deeply involved in it." said Nabiki.  
  
Leave it to Nabiki to figure out what is going on., Kasumi said to herself. Nodoka put her hands down with a sigh and look over towards Kasumi. It was at that moment that Akane realized something that she did not realize before. Ranma usually sat either near her to next to her at dinner time. Now he was on the other side of the table with Kasumi.  
  
"Maybe I should be the one to say something, mother." said Kasumi.  
  
Mother?, Akane thought in surprise. Since when did Kasumi call Ranma's mom her mother? "Kasumi?" Tendo Soun looked at his oldest daughter with a questioning look of surprise.  
  
"Father, I have something I need to say, and I know this is going to hurt certain people, but I must say it." she went on. "I-I'm in love with Ranma."  
  
Everyone heard a pair of chopsticks snap and looked over at Akane who looked at her sister with an expression of shock. "I'm so sorry Akane, I didn't want to hurt your feelings, but I cannot deny what is in my heart." Kasumi said to her. "I love him dearly as life itself."  
  
"K-K-Kasumi." Soun stammered at he looked at her in shock.  
  
"What are you trying to say, you want to marry him?" asked Akane.  
  
Kasumi put her hand on Ranma and the youth gripped her hand with his. "No Akane, we 'both' want to marry each other." she said. The silence in the room could have been cut with a katana. It was broken when the Tendo patriarch leapt to his feet and his Demon's Head filled the room.  
  
"RANMA, WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO MY LITTLE GIRL!?"  
  
The sound of steel being drawn made the Demon's Head suddenly sweat. There was a popping sound as Nodoka let the hot air out of Soun's big head. The man flopped down to the floor in surprise and looked up to see Nodoka standing next to him with the Saotome family sword in her hand. The flash of the naked blade made his eyes go wide with fear.  
  
"We will have no outbursts like that, Soun dear." she said. "Let the young lady speak."  
  
"Nodoka, what is the meaning of this?" Genma demanded as he stood up and showed backbone for the first time in his entire life. "Ranma and Akane are the ones to carry on the Anything Goes School of Martial Arts, its is a matter of family honor!"  
  
"I recall that the agreement that was made was for Ranma to marry one of Soun's daughters." Nodoka corrected him. "I do not recall any one person's name being mentioned."  
  
"Kasumi, why?" Akane asked silencing any further questions from Genma on the matter.  
  
"Forgive me, I know I've betrayed your trust sister, but I have had feelings for Ranma for some time now." Kasumi replied looking only at her. "It was very hard on us on that island, we only had each other. I can to discover things about Ranma that made he fall in love with him even more deeply than before."  
  
"Akane, I'm sorry too." said Ranma, speaking for the first time. "For a while I thought that I really did love you, and I did for a time. I don't know what happened to those feelings. I still care about you, I don't wanna hurt you right now, but things can't go on the way they are."  
  
This can't be happening., Akane said to herself. "What if I don't wanna give him up?" she asked Nodoka.  
  
"There is more dear, and I'm not sure if you are ready to hear it but it is necessary." the Saotome matriarch told her.  
  
Akane looked at Kasumi who had tears in her eyes and looked like she was about to start crying. Ranma slid up close to her side and put his arm around her lovingly for support. "A-Akane, oh Kami-sama please let her forgive me." Kasumi said with a trembling voice.  
  
"Y-You're starting to s-s-scare me." said Akane.  
  
"Akane, I-I-I'm, I-I-I'm p-p-pregnant." Kasumi stammered. All the color drained from Akane's face and she dropped what was left of her chopsticks. Nabiki looked shocked as well, but had a feeling something like this was going to happen. She moved next to Akane just in case she needed to support her sister. She flinched back when a sudden blue aura appeared around the girl and her face contorted into rage.  
  
"RANMA NO HENTAI, YOU SEDUCED MY SISTER, AND TO THINK I WAS STARTING TO TRUST YOU!!!!" Her mallet suddenly appear out of thin air would have traveled in an arch connecting with Ranma's head, but an angry shout brought the youngest Tendo sister out of her blind rage.  
  
"Don't you dare hurt him!" Kasumi yelled at her.  
  
Akane froze in motion and looked at Kasumi in absolute shock. "It wasn't Ranma who initiated things, it was me." Kasumi admitted.  
  
"Whoa, its always the quiets one." Nabiki muttered.  
  
"H-H-How could you?" Akane looked at her with a mixture of shock, rage, and hurt. It broke Kasumi's heart to see that expression directed her way, but there was no turning back now.  
  
"K-Kasumi, are you sure about this pregnancy thing?" Soun asked while still keeping his eyes on Nodoka's sword.  
  
"Yes, I got the test results from Dr. Tofu's office the other day." she told him. "I am about three weeks pregnant."  
  
"No." Akane whispered.  
  
"Pardon dear?" Nodoka asked her.  
  
Akane shock her head, "No, I'm dreaming this, it isn't real!"  
  
"Sweetie, it is real, I know this isn't what you want to hear, but it is." Nodoka replied.  
  
"How could you, my own sister, how could you do this to me!?" Akane yelled at Kasumi.  
  
"I-I-I'm so sorry Akane, I never wanted to hurt you." she replied.  
  
"Akane, we didn't do this to hurt ya, it just happened." Ranma added.  
  
"Don't talk to me!" Akane barked at him. "I hate you, I hate you!" She threw her rice bowl at him and he easily dodged it by ducking. When he looked up all he could see was her retreating form as she ran up the stairs with her hands on her face. Ranma looked down at his hands in shame and tears began to fell down his face.  
  
"She hates me Kasumi, she hates me." he said with great sadness.  
  
"No she doesn't, she's just angry." Kasumi said reassuringly. "It is going to be hard on her, I did not want to have to do this to her, but we had no other option. I wish we could have made it easier for her, but we couldn't." She pulled him into an embrace and held him for a long time. Everyone else at the table remained silent until their embrace ended. As they parted Ranma reached behind Kasumi's neck and pulled her into a passionate kiss. She returned it wholeheartedly, when it was over she laid her head on his shoulder while he kept his arm around her.  
  
"Mr. Tendo, she's gonna have my baby." Ranma said to the Tendo patriarch. "I wanna do what's right and take care of Kasumi and the baby. I wanna marry Kasumi."  
  
"Well-uh-um-" Soun stammered.  
  
"Technically, what my wife said was right, the agreement did not say which of your daughters it had to be Tendo." said Genma who was also eying Nodoka's drawn katana warily.  
  
She smirked at him knowingly, "I am so glad that we are of one mind on this dear."  
  
"I was wondering what was going on." said Nabiki who did not look like she was at all surprised. "Considering how the two of you have been so close since coming back home I should have already foreseen this."  
  
"We were actually hoping that you would not notice anything." Kasumi admitted.  
  
"You 'do' know that being Ranma's iinazuke is hazardous work, especially with Shampoo and Kuno baby's twisted little sister poking around." Nabiki told her.  
  
"I'm working on those problems at the moment." said Nodoka. "And if anything immediate comes up Ranma will protect his iinazuke and the mother of his child."  
  
"Well-uh-in light of this then I guess we have little choice." said Soun. "It looks like the dojo will pass to Ranma and Kasumi."  
  
"Yes, and they already have an heir on the way too." Genma grinned.  
  
"Good, I suggest we make the most of this situation and celebrate the union of the Tendo and Saotome clans." said Nodoka as she produced a large bottle of sake and several glasses.  
  
"Yes, the schools will-will finally be joined." Soun said in agreement, but he could not forget the incredibly anguished look on Akane's face.  
  
"I know what you are thinking." Nodoka said to him. "Akane is a young attractive woman, she will find another she can fall in love with. Her and my son just were never meant to be perhaps."  
  
"I think I'll go check on her." Nabiki got up and headed up the stairs.  
  
"Here is to Ranma and Kasumi, may they have a long and fruitful life together." Soun toasted with a full glass of sake along with Nodoka and Genma.  
  
"Here here." Genma said in support.  
  
Kasumi blushed, "Thank you for being so understanding father."  
  
When you have a woman with a yard and half of razor sharp steel next to you it is hard to go against her wishes., Soun said to himself. "Your welcome Kasumi, I was just surprised in the beginning." he said. "I'm very happy for the two of you."  
  
-----  
  
Nabiki crept up to Akane's door and listened intently. She could hear heavy objects being thrown around, the crash of shelves falling and glass shattering was unmistakable. When the sound of violence ended she could hear Akane sobbing, probably on her bed. With her hearing, trained to be keen after years of eaves dropping on other students to learn the latest dirt she could sell, Nabiki could hear Akane say something.  
  
"You baka, I loved you, I loved you you baka." she heard her say. "Why, why couldn't you wait for me?"  
  
Nabiki decided to take this moment to knock on her door.  
  
"GO AWAY!" came the reply.  
  
"Its me." said Nabiki. A moment later the door opened to reveal Akane, her face streaked with tears, her eyes red and puffy from crying.  
  
"If you want to talk, I'm here for you." said Nabiki. "No charge."  
  
Akane went to the bed and flopped down on her stomach. Nabiki came in, took note of the destruction and closed the door behind her. She found the chair, which miraculous had not been thrown out of the window and sat down.  
  
"I knew this was going to happen, but I didn't want to get involved." she said.  
  
Akane looked up at with surprise, "Nani?"  
  
Nabiki shrugged, "I noticed them getting closer to one another. So I decided to go upstairs today and take a peek at Kasumi's journal."  
  
"Nabiki, those are her private thoughts!" Akane yelled at her.  
  
"I know, and I regret doing it." the middle Tendo sister said. "What I read told me enough. Kasumi has it bad for Ranma, she literally worships the ground that boy walks on."  
  
"I still can't believe she did this." said Akane as she flipped over onto her back and looked up at the ceiling.  
  
"What would you have done if you had feelings for Ranma and were trapped on a deserted island with him?" asked Nabiki. With a blush she continued saying, "Heck, I would have probably done the same thing." Akane looked at her in shock.  
  
"Hey, I am a woman too, and it is very hard not to notice that Ranma is one good looking guy." she told her. "You know very well if it had been Ukyo or Shampoo on that island that they'd be knocked up too when they got off."  
  
"But, this isn't Shampoo or Ukyo, this is Kasumi!" Akane exclaiming pointing in the direction of the living room downstairs.  
  
"She's a woman too if you haven't noticed Akane." said Nabiki. "I'm also sure that Dr. Tofu isn't the only man she's ever been interested in."  
  
Akane rubbed her hands over her face. "Its over, their engagement now aren't they?" she asked.  
  
Nabiki nodded, "Yep, and Ranma's mom was in one the whole thing. Well her part was to keep daddy and Mr. Saotome in line actually."  
  
Akane covered her face with her hands and started crying again. "You really did love him, didn't you?" Nabiki asked her.  
  
"Oh Kami yes, I loved him." Akane replied through her sobs.  
  
Nabiki sighed, "I don't know what to say or do. All I can tell you is you should have told him a long time ago instead of denying it all the time. Maybe this wouldn't have happened if you did."  
  
"Don't you think I haven't thought about that, its haunting me!" Akane snapped at her.  
  
"I'm sorry, but I was also right." Nabiki apologized.  
  
"Do you want me to bring up anything up for dinner?" Nabiki asked as she got up to head for the door. Akane nodded where she lay and said nothing.  
  
"Don't hate Kasumi or Ranma because of this." said Nabiki. "They weren't out to hurt you when this happened. They do care about you. Like I do."  
  
"I-I-I'll try." was all Akane would say.  
  
"I'll bring you up that plate." Nabiki said as she left.  
  
---------- To be continued... 


	3. Chapter 3

DISCLAIMER: Ranma ½ is the registered trademark of Viz Communications, Kitty Films, and Rumiko Takahashi.  
  
----------  
  
Inspired by Adrian D. Moten's "Kasumi 1/2"  
  
A N E W D I R E C T I O N T A K E N  
  
by Michael "TheZorch" Haney  
  
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Note To My Readers:  
  
Sorry for the delay in updates. Life has gotten in the way and I have had little time to do much writing. I have lots of ideas for updates to my existing fics including this one and "Family Reunion 2". You should see an update for that fan fic coming soon. Thanks for waiting.  
  
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Chapter 3  
  
Night time fell over the city of Nerima. The people of the quiet Tokyo suburb went about their daily routine to prepare for the next day oblivious of the goings on at the home of one of the most well known and respected families in town. Inside the modest, classically Japanese home the atmosphere was somber. For the some of the inhabitance it was a time where they found themselves at odds with two different emotions. On one side many of them felt sadness because of recent events, yet at the same time a few felt happiness. It was a conflict, among others, that struggled in the heart of a young Saotome Ranma as he made his way up the stairs to the second floor of the Tendo home. As he reached the top of the stairs he glanced up at the door with the duck shaped placard with the Romanji characters reading "Akane" engraved upon it. He thought for a moment about the person inside and how she must be feeling, and how that made him feel inside too. Her response that night to learning the truth about him and Kasumi was evidence enough how she felt. They had been through so much together and had come to far, but fate chose a different direction for both of them on that little island in the South Pacific.  
  
Ranma turned his eyes towards the door of the woman who was now known as his iinazuke. He knew in his heart that he loved her very much. She was the woman to whom he had offered up his virginity. A prize that was sought by many women in Nerima but the one none of them would have least expected achieved what was considered the impossible. To him she was the most beautiful, warm, and loving person on the face of the planet. Ranma almost felt like laughing. There had been a time when he felt that way about the girl who's heart he broke today. A part of him still loved Akane very much, hurting her like this tore at him on the inside, but at the same time he felt a warm feeling when he thought about Akane's beautiful, soft spoken older sister.  
  
Ranma was brought out of his revere by a sound down the hall. He noticed Kasumi's door was ajar, his keen martial artist's vision could see part of a face looking at him from within. His keen hearing heard her beaconing call, which was barely a whisper. Kasumi opened the door wider for him as he came in and promptly sat down on the bed. He looked up at her with sad eyes and cracked a slight smile at her. Kasumi was dressed in her usual nightgown which was a bit revealing around the bust. It was an interesting contrast to her usual demure dresses. She looked at his face and felt her heart skip a beat. The hurt and anguish on his face was almost too much for her to bare seeing. She knew in her heart that Ranma loved Akane still and far more than he was willing to admit even to himself. It was his pride and sense of honor that made him cling to her instead of her youngest sister. She also knew that he did love her. There was no denying that fact whatsoever. The proof was in his actions back on that Kami forsaken island and the words he spoke to her father a few hours ago. She could not stand to see him like this anymore. Kasumi sat down next to him on the bed. For a long moment there was silence. Before she could say anything he spoke first.  
  
"I still love her."  
  
She said nothing. She just reached up and softly ran her fingers through his black hair soothingly.  
  
"I love you too, with all my heart, but it still hurts. Oh, Kami- sama it hurts." The last was said in a near sob. Tears were in Kasumi's eyes now. She wrapped her arms around him and pressed his head to her bosom.  
  
"Letting go of your first love is always hard." she told him softly.  
  
Ranma's voice cracked. "She hates me."  
  
"Give her time. Akane is deeply hurt by all of this, and I suspect that she felt much more for you than she was willing to admit. But then, it was a problem that both of you had." she said. Ranma marveled again, he was not sure how many times it has been, at how insightful Kasumi could be at times. And to think he once thought of her as out of touch with reality.  
  
"We were, afraid. Geeze, afraid, I'm a guy who faced down a flaming god face to face but I turn chicken when it comes to telling the girl I love that I love her." Ranma shook his head in disgust. What kind of man can fight battles no ordinary man would dream of fighting but turn yellow when confronted by a girl. Ranma felt disgusted with himself. He was a coward. Not a coward when it came to fighting, but a coward when it came to risking his emotions. A punch to the face, bruised ribs, he can take that kind of the pain. The pain one feels in their heart, that was different. He feared that pain, and he hated himself because of it.  
  
Kasumi tightened her embrace. "The two of you were under a lot of stress. My father and yours were desperately trying to force you together, you had competition from suitors on both sides, and the two of you did not start things off on the best of terms either I'm afraid." She remembered that day. Akane came screaming through the house in her karate gi and grabbed one of the stone yard ornaments yelling about a hentai in the bathroom. Kasumi found it hard to feeling anything like hate towards anyone, but she knew the reason why Akane was the way she was towards boys, or more accurately she knew whom was the reason for the way she was. The Kuno boy was suddenly low on her personal list of people she had respect for. He was on the bottom really, just below a certain perverted, little old man.  
  
"Yeah, I know. How could I forget, she hit me with the frick'n dinning room table." said Ranma.  
  
"The point is, I think you should stop insulting her. That was one of the things that got between the two of you." Kasumi suggested. She knew it might now work. It would be a long time, if ever, before the two mended the bad blood between them and became friends. It was likely that they never would be able to speak to one another again without fighting about something. She held out hope though that her sister would be able to get along with Ranma eventually. Perhaps with the pressure of the engagement off of both of them they might actually become friends. It was a slim chance, but Kasumi was by nature an optimistic person.  
  
"I want the two of you to be friends." she said.  
  
"Kasumi, I know you love your sister and me, but if that ever happens oni will coming up to the mortal plane to buy arctic weather gear." he replied. Kasumi smiled a little at his use of humor.  
  
He thought about what he said and added, "I know you don't want this to divide your family. I'll try, but it will depend on her too. She's gonna be really mad for a long time at you and me. Especially me."  
  
"Ranma, whether you and my sister get along or not I will still love you." said Kasumi.  
  
Ranma looked up at her and saw the smile on her beautiful face. "I love you too."  
  
Ever so slowly they came together, their lips closing the distance. Kasumi closed her eyes when they came together. Her hands moved of their own accord and began to caress up and down Ranma's muscled back. She felt his hands doing the same. They still had not broken contact when she reached with one hand for his right, and moved it slowly to her right breast. They broke and she nuzzled against his shoulder.  
  
"Please."  
  
Ranma's respond came when his other free hand slowly tugged on the ribbon holding the front of her nightgown closed. The fabric feel away with a silence whisper revealing her perfectly formed mounds. She felt his right hand still upon her breast, now bare, and gasped slightly as one finger began rubbing the exposed nipple. Lightning shot through her body at Ranma's every touch, the hand on her breast, his other hand slowly caressing her along the curves of her slender hips. He smiled when he heard her give a gentle moan as his fingers traced a line up the middle of her back traveling just barely above the skin. When he reached the nape of her neck her spine shivered and he heard her gasp in response.  
  
"Who knew I'd be so good at this." he said in a whisper.  
  
He heard her giggle slightly then say in a soft whisper, "I doubt there is a school of martial arts love making."  
  
Her eyes went wide when he replied, "There is, its called the School of Sensual Martial Arts."  
  
"You are kidding, right?" she sat up and look at him in surprise.  
  
He look into her eyes and gave her a Cheshire cat grin. "Yeah I am."  
  
"Oh, you." she giggled and threw her arms around him. They fell back against the bed and rolled to the middle kissing each other as they went. Ranma began undoing the wooden clasps of his Chinese style tunic as Kasumi untied the drawstring of his pants. Before long the floor was littered with clothes. Down the hall, a young girl with short cropped hair lay on he bed looking up at the ceiling. She turned her head towards her older sister's bedroom when she heard a faint sound. There was no mistaking that sound, it was faint, but her keen martial artist's hearing picked it up nonetheless. She turned onto her side and tried to ignore it, but tears soon came to her eyes. As the sobs began, Akane reached back and pulled her pillow over her head.  
  
-----  
  
A nearly endless sea of rooftops spread out before the view of the Eternally Lost Boy. He lounged on the tiled roof of an old building that was no longer being used. His thoughts were not on the view or the glorious sunrise that greeted the new day, but were on something, or more accurately someone else. In his mind's eye Ryoga could see the object of his dreams. Her kind eyes shined as she looked at him, a soft breeze flowing through her short cropped hair. He dreamed of his looking at him like that, but the last time he saw her she was looking at "him" that way. That "him" was the bane of Ryoga's existence, Saotome Ranma. When he thought that the memory of Ranma's battle at Josendo came back to him. He remembered the fiery hell the pigtailed martial artist fought through to save the woman they both loved. In the end, Ryoga was useless in the fight with the fiery godling Saffron, and it was Ranma who won the day. It it had not been for Ranma none of them, not him, or Shampoo, or even Mousse would have returned alive. In the end, Ranma not only saved Akane, he saved all of them and possibly more.  
  
How unworthy of Akane's love he felt as he stood up, shrugged on his back pack and umbrella and set off across the rooftops. When he stopped a few leaps into his journey Ryoga suddenly realized that he recognized the place. He looked down at the street and saw the sign that was engraved into his memory. The sign of the Tendo Dojo. The lost boy could hardly believe it. Here he was thinking how unworthy of Akane's love he was and suddenly he was here, where she lived. It had to be fate, there was a strangeness to the wind. Something at that moment told Ryoga that something was different. He was not sure what but he could feel it, feel it right down to his bones. He decided to go in and pay the family a visit. When he alighted to the sidewalk below one house away he suddenly felt the splash of cold water hit his face. P-Chan struggled out of his suddenly oversized clothes and looked up at the old woman watering her walkway to keep down the dust. He snorted a sigh and grabbed onto his belongings with his teeth, dragged them to the usual hiding place for later, and made his way towards the Tendo home. To his amazement he was actually getting there and not getting lost.  
  
Ryoga found himself entering one of the open doors to the dojo. He looked around, as a pig his eyesight was not that good, but his sense of smell was nearly one hundred times stronger. He could smell Ranma's scent on everything in the room, and he could not mistake the smell of Akane. Ahead of him he could smell that smell. Walking forward some a shape appeared in his limited vision and soon came into focus.  
  
Akane had come out into the dojo early to avoid meeting her sister or her former iinazuke. She was not in the mood for it today. She was not sure of many things at the moment. Nabiki's words replayed themselves through her mind over and over again. She knew she could never hate Kasumi over this, she was mad at her, but she could never hate her oldest sister. Ranma was different, she was really mad at him. How could he do this to her? The answer was simple, she knew what it was, but she was unwilling to accept what it meant about her as a person. Would she hate him, she found herself thinking "no". Would she stop talking to him, probably yes, not forever, and the same would go for Kasumi too. Those thoughts did little to comfort the pain she still felt.  
  
A sound in the room told her she was not alone. Akane looked up and secretly hoped it was not Ranma. She was not ready to confront him yet. She could not trust herself yet to be alone with him. When she did not see anyone she looked around and still saw nothing. A tiny snort behind her made her turn around and she immediately smiled. It was forced, but it was a smile none the less.  
  
"Oh, P-Chan, where have you been baby?" she cooed as she gathered him up into her arms and held him. Ryoga was in heaven as he felt himself being pressed against Akane soft chest.  
  
-----  
  
Kasumi tried not to look too disappointed when Akane did not join the rest of the family for breakfast. She was expecting too much too soon from her youngest sister perhaps. It would take time for wounds to heal, and wounds of the heart take the longest of times to heal. Breakfast that morning was simple, just some rice and a bit of Auntie Saotome's miso soup. She had also sliced a few pickles too because she knew they were Ranma's favorite. When the meal was done and everything was cleaned up Ranma's mother called her into the living room. Kasumi sat down next to Ranma. Seated at the head of the table was her father, and across from her and Ranma were his mother and father. She was not sure what was happening, but the look on her father's face told her something was going to happen.  
  
"Well, Soun dear, everyone is here as you requested. What was it you wanted to discuss with us?" asked Nodoka.  
  
Soun took a drag off his cigarette before speaking. Ranma was the look on the man's face, he knew that look well, and it usually meant trouble. "The events of yesterday have had a very profound effect over this household. The biggest being the revelation that Kasumi and Ranma dropped on us out of the blue."  
  
"Where are you going with this father?" Kasumi asked nervously.  
  
"I assumed that we have already dealt with this yesterday." said Nodoka.  
  
Soun shook his head. "It is not dealt with yet. There is one more thing."  
  
"Such as?" Genma spoke up.  
  
"Akane. This has hurt her badly, her outburst yesterday is a good example, and today she did not sit with the family during breakfast." said Soun.  
  
Nodoka smiled at him. "Soun dear, she is hurting, it always does in situations like this, but there is little we can do about it. Ranma is not going to marry her, he is going to marry Kasumi."  
  
"True, on this I insist. But as to the matter of Akane, I insist that Ranma make reparations for breaking the engagement with her." said Soun.  
  
"Father." gasped Kasumi.  
  
Soun waved off whatever Nodoka was about to say and said, "This reparation is a request. If fulfilled the hurt done to Akane will be forgiven."  
  
"I am certain that Ranma can fulfill any requests that you give him, but what are you wanting him to do?" Nodoka asked as she looked from Soun to her son who was looking a little green around the gills at the moment.  
  
"I will forgive the pain inflicted on Akane by his actions if, if he marries Kasumi within seven days time." said Soun.  
  
"Nani!" Ranma barked.  
  
"Look I already said I'm gonna marry her, I want to marry her, so what gives?" he demanded on the Tendo patriarch.  
  
Soun took another drag from his cigarette and look at him with a serious expression. "This request is more to protect Kasumi than repayment for hurting Akane's feelings actually. If it were merely the fact that the two of you fell in love and wanted to get married it would be fine, but Kasumi is carrying your child."  
  
He leveled a slightly menacing stare and said, "A child that at the moment is illegitimate."  
  
"Oh, I see where you are coming from. It will get out eventually that Kasumi is with child, and if she isn't married by then-" Nodoka began.  
  
Soun finished for her. "Then, she would be looked down upon. It is a harsh reality of our society, much has changed in our lifetime since the old days, but many of the old ways still exist. Kasumi would be ostracized for bearing a child out of wedlock."  
  
"Hey, I said I was gonna marry her!" Ranma reminded him.  
  
Soun nodded. "Yes, I know, but do what if people learn the truth before you do marry. What will you do if Kasumi is suddenly looked down upon by the people of this city who were once her friends? Do you want people thinking she's a-a-a whore."  
  
"Father." Kasumi gasped in surprise.  
  
"SHE IS NOT A WHORE!" Ranma roared making the older man cringe a little.  
  
"Y-Y-Yes, that is true, but what if others think of her that way?" Soun asked.  
  
Ranma looked down at the table at his hands and replied, "I don't want that to happen."  
  
"Ranma, it does not both me. We can wait, father is being unfair asking this of you." said Kasumi.  
  
"He's right Kasumi." said Ranma. He looked up at the older man and told him, "I'll do it, not because you asked me, but because I love her and I want to marry her and I don't want her to be hurt."  
  
"Oh my." Kasumi gasped, blushing a bit.  
  
"Well, it is the manly thing to do I suppose." said Nodoka.  
  
Genma turned to his old friend with a wide smile. "Finally, after all this time the schools will finally be joined Tendo." His friend took his hands in a tight grip of friendship.  
  
"At long last, our dreams are coming true Saotome." he said as the waterworks started.  
  
"There are a few conditions." Ranma spoke up. Everyone in the room looked at him suddenly.  
  
"First of all," he pointed at his father and Soun. "You two leave me and Kasumi alone, no crazy schemes to get out on a date or anything stupid like that. I wanna take her out I'll do it myself, I was planning to anyway. Second, I don't wanna hear about no plans to get Akane married off to nobody either. I want her to get married when she's ready to the guy she wants to get married to. No arranged engagements or nothing like that."  
  
None of them notice the slight gasp coming from behind the closed shoji doors that lead to the causeway that joined the house to the dojo.  
  
Soun scratched the back of his head nervously and smiled. "I guess that wouldn't be so bad. Alright, consider it done."  
  
"Good, cause I don't hate her. I loved her once, a part of me still does, and I don't want you two screw ups messing with her life again." Ranma confessed.  
  
Nodoka was about to reprimand her child for speaking to his father like that, but then she remembered what kind of man Genma was and decided against it. Behind the door Akane stands in shock at what she has just heard. Ranma loved her. A part of him still did. He was going to marry Kasumi, he loved her, but a part of him still loved "her". The most important thing she heard and could barely believe was Ranma sticking up for her like that and telling her father to leave her alone. She had been secretly dreading the possibility that her father might engage her off to someone. Someone like perhaps Kuno who would have a sizable dowry he could pay to the Tendo family, or who knows perhaps that French martial artist was not the only person her father promised one of his daughters to. She hoped he was the last and only one. The experience helped her understand a little of what Ranma had to do through. As always though, Ranma ended up getting caught in the whole affair, disguised herself as a Tendo, and wound up in a dining competition with a man who was a freak of nature capable of opening his mouth to five times its normal size.  
  
P-Chan heard what was going on as well. He had been wondering why Akane looked so sad. In pig form Ryoga's vision was not all that good, but at this range he could clearly see that she had been crying. Akane's eyes were red and puffy, and there were tear streaks down her cheeks. He only heard a little of what was said in the next room, but what he heard was enough. Ranma was marrying Kasumi and not Akane. When did this happen? The more logical part of the lost boy's mind was overtaken by a different subroutine. This one was pretty powerful, it could override any logical thought, any truth, and twist it to its down purposes. This was the part of Ryoga's mind that controlled all thoughts concerning Ranma. It operated on three basic rules; Rule number one, everything is Ranma's fault. Rule number two, if Ranma is not around things that happen are still his fault. Rule number three, for all other matters refer back to rule number one.  
  
As a result Ryoga found himself seething with a rage unlike anything he had ever felt before towards one man. The little black pig in Akane's arms squirmed violently to get free. She shouted out in surprise as P-Chan leapt out of her arms and trotted away at a furious pace.  
  
"P-Chan, P-Chan, what's the matter?" she cried out as she chased him.  
  
Akane lost the little animal as it rounded a corner. She was in the hallway near the bathroom when the door slid open to reveal Ryoga in his usual green attire. She looked up at him in surprise. Akane did not know he was here this morning, then realized she spend most of the morning in the dojo so he could have stopped by then.  
  
"Oh, Ryoga," she said. "Did you see P-Chan come this way, he ran off for some reason all of a sudden and-"  
  
Ryoga turned to her and put his hands on her shoulders. "Akane, I-I- I lo-" he tried to say. The lost boy turned away and yelled over his shoulder as he ran, "I'll be right back."  
  
"What was that all about?" a very bewildered Akane asked himself out loud.  
  
In the dinning room everyone heard Akane yell for P-Chan. Everyone's reactions to that were different. Kasumi was happy that Akane's pet returned, perhaps having him around will make her a little happier. Ranma heaved a heavy sigh. This was not what he needed right now. If P-Chan was here then that would mean that any moment he would find himself in a fight. That is what he was about to face as the shoji doors flew open to reveal an enraged young Ryoga.  
  
"SAOTOME, THIS TIME YOU HAVE GONE TOO FAR! HOW DARE YOU DUMP AKANE FOR HER OLDER SISTER, YOU ENEMY OF WOMEN!" he screamed in righteous fury.  
  
"I do not need this today." Ranma sighed.  
  
"Excuse me young man, but what gives you the right to...ack!" Nodoka started to reprimand the young man but was suddenly cut off as he sailed over her head and flew towards her son feet first. Kasumi was barely able to get out of the way in time. Ranma with his impressive speed was already gone before Ryoga even hit the floor. The pig tailed martial artist had rolled up into a back flip that took him out into the yard.  
  
"You almost hit Kasumi, baka!" Ranma shouted at him.  
  
"SHUT UP!" Ryoga cried as he threw his umbrella tip first at his target. Ranma snap kicked it at the last second flipping the handle towards him. He caught it with ease and was about to throw it back into the lost boy's face but he found himself having to use it to deflect incoming bandanna blades instead.  
  
"DIE SAOTOME!" Ryoga cried. He leapt into the yard and the melee began in earnest. Nodoka remembered the young man from Ranma and Akane's failed wedding a year ago. He was one of Ranma's friends, or so she had thought. She turned a questioning eye towards the fathers. They both looked like they had swallowed the canary.  
  
"Why is that young man so enraged with my son?" she asked.  
  
"Well dear, you see-" Genma started to say. He was cut off when a new person entered the room. He could feel her cold stare on his back so there was no mistaking who it was.  
  
"His name is Ryoga, but you already know that, right. He's had a huge crush on Akane for a long time, almost as long as Ranma and his father have lived here. Ranma and him are always fighting, and its usually over Akane." said Nabiki.  
  
"You're saying he's a rival for Akane's affections." said Nodoka.  
  
Nabiki nodded. "Ryoga lives by three basic rules in this life. Rule number one, he's the only man who is worthy enough to be with Akane. Rule number two, everything bad that happens to him and Akane is always Ranma's fault. And, rule number three, for all other matters refer back to rule number two."  
  
The Saotome matriarch turned to the fathers again and asked in a demanding tone, "So, why is it the two of you let this situation go on as long as it has? Their engagement is important to the pact between our clans to join the schools, and as the men who formed the pact it is your duty to safeguard it at all costs."  
  
"Nani, if we were to bail the boy out of every situation where his status as Akane's iinazuke were threatened he'd never learn responsibility." protested Genma.  
  
Nodoka's expression turned very icy, and he hand slowly inched towards her wrapped katana. "So you are saying that you left our dear son to fend completely for himself against this boy and those others I saw at that disaster of a wedding? Like that boy who brought a real katana, what was his name, oh yes, Kuno Tatawaki?"  
  
"Well, uh, that is-" Soun stammered.  
  
"Kuno baby has been after Akane long before Ranma even came into the picture. Before he and his father showed up he had eighty boys from school attacking her every morning. He wouldn't let anyone else date her unless they were able to beat her up." said Nabiki. Nodoka looked at her in absolute shock.  
  
"How could you let a situation like that go on?" she demanded of the Tendo patriarch.  
  
Soun eyed her katana nervously and replied, "Well, you see I thought it would help her with her training."  
  
"Training, training, being attack by a horde of hentai every morning is training? Perhaps in the mind of that twisted gnome the two of you call sensei it would be considered training. I call it harassment and attempted rape!" Nodoka snapped at him.  
  
"Oh my." Kasumi gasped. A sound from above them drew Nodoka's attention. She and Kasumi climbed to their feet and ran out into the yard. To their surprise Akane was already there. She was watching the two boys fight it out with all that they had. The expression on her face clearly showed the warring emotions that were in her heart at the moment.  
  
Nodoka was about to shout at the lost boy to get to stop this when she noticed a sphere of energy form between his hands. She and the other two watched as Ranma did the same. The two fighters released a blast of ki energy at one another at nearly point blank range.  
  
"SHI SHI HOKADON!"  
"MOKO TAKABISHA!"  
  
The blast blinded the women for a moment and an ear shattering blast deafened them for a moment. The sound shattered glass for nearly a mile all around the Tendo dojo. When their vision and hearing cleared up there was a huge hole in the roof of the Tendo home. They found Ranma and Ryoga laying the ground on opposite sides of the house. Both were mangled and battered by the blast. Their clothes were badly charred, a clear example of how much power the two put into their fight. Nodoka was both proud of her son's strength and worried for him at the same time.  
  
After seeing that Ranma was tended to Nodoka headed for the stairs to look in on Ryoga and Akane. Soun's youngest daughter had taken the unconscious boy to the dojo after the explosion. She did not hate the boy, she hated what he was doing to her son and what he did to his relationship with Akane. When she reached the top of the stairs she heard someone call out her name in a whisper.  
  
"Yes Nabiki dear." she replied.  
  
"I need to talk to you." said Nabiki opening her bedroom door for the older woman. She immediately went over to her desk and picked up a hefty sized manila folder. She handed it to Ranma's mother who looked at it with some surprise and curiosity.  
  
"I'm not doing this for Ranma, mind you. He's ok, he did save my sister's life and for that I'll always be thankful, but this is more for Kasumi than anything else." said Nabiki.  
  
Nodoka opened the folder and looked through the papers. "These are financial records, most are in my son's name. Bills, but this can't be right because some of them have dates where he would have been only two years old."  
  
"Bills in your son's name, but they weren't incurred by someone else." Nabiki told her.  
  
"Genma." Nodoka did not have to guess.  
  
"Bingo," Nabiki gave the older woman her best "I got him now" smirk. "Seems he and daddy intended to drop this on Ranma and Akane's shoulders when they got married. Now it'll be Ranma and Kasumi's shoulders."  
  
The younger girl was taken aback by the sudden smile on the older woman's face. "Oh, I don't think so Miss Tendo. My son and your older sister will not be weighed down by my husband's ill begotten ways."  
  
"How will you manage that? These are all in Ranma's name, and despite how old he was at the time some of them were incurred he will have to pay them back." replied Nabiki.  
  
"Miss Tendo, I have only told this to Kasumi, and I will tell you now and want you to swear to me that it will go no further than this room." Nodoka said to her, looking into the younger girl's eyes with an expression of grim determination.  
  
"Tell me what?" Nabiki asked, her curiosity suddenly peaked.  
  
"Swear it first."  
  
"I promise not to tell anyone what you are about to tell me."  
  
"Good," Nodoka said with a brighter smile. "Because not even Genma knows what I am about to tell you." This made Nabiki's eye brow do a sudden Spock Maneuver. Ranma was always full of surprises but what sort of surprise could it be that not even his own father knew about it.  
  
"My family is quite wealthy, but they did not approve of my marriage to Genma so they made me promise to never reveal my family's wealth to him." Nodoka explained.  
  
Nabiki nearly fell backwards onto her rump. Ranma was rich!? A sudden vision of a memory came to her, it was the day Ranma arrived at the Tendo dojo. In a brief instant she relived the moment where she pushed her younger sister off on the pigtailed boy, and as she did so Nabiki envisioned millions of one thousand yen notes flying off through the sky on gossamer wings as she chased after them desperate to catch them.  
  
"Nabiki dear, are you alright?" Nabiki came out of her waking nightmare to Nodoka looking at her with concern.  
  
Nabiki you are the biggest baka in the universe, you should have seen this coming, but no you had to go and get freaked out by his curse., she chided herself silently. "I'm alright, must be getting a cold." she lied and it showed. Nodoka ignored it a bit, she could just imagine what the girl was thinking right now,  
  
"There is more, Ranma has a trust fund in his name that will be turned over to him when he gets married," Nodoka explained. "Since he is under the age of majority the money would have reverted to his oldest parent or guardian he is living with."  
  
"Which would be his father." said Nabiki. She had to hand it to Genma, he had a really sweet scam going. She also wondered if her father was in on it. It was worth looking into.  
  
"But, Ranma is getting married at the end of the week to Kasumi, and since she is over the age of majority.." Nodoka told her and cut it off to let the girl fill in the blanks herself. She was a smart girl.  
  
Nabiki nearly burst out laughing. "It will go to her. Well, that sure does put a monkey wrench into things for him."  
  
"There is something else, something I did not even tell Kasumi at the time I told her about my family and the trust fund." said Nodoka suddenly looking serious.  
  
"There's-more?" Nabiki looked at her with surprise.  
  
"As my son Ranma is a direct descendant of Musashi Miyamoto," said Nodoka. "After my father passed his will named Ranma as heir of our clan, patriarch of our family."  
  
"Musashi Miyamoto, as in the famous samurai who wrote the Book of Five Rings?" Nabiki asked her in obvious shock.  
  
"Hai, and when he reaches the age of majority he will have control over the holdings of the entire clan." nodded Nodoka. He could have been mine., Nabiki cried inwardly as she remembered the brief time she had once been Ranma's iinazuke.  
  
"It also means that..."  
  
"That Ranma will be in a position that will put him in a close relationship with the royal family in Kyoto." said Nodoka. "He is not of noble blood, but Ranma is related to a man who is a national treasure. My son will be one of the most powerful men in Japan."  
  
She looked at the younger girl and just by looking at her expression she knew exactly what Nabiki might be thinking. "You promised to keep this a secret, so please don't spread this around."  
  
Nabiki nodded, in no way was she going to tangle with someone related to Musashi Miyamoto. "Hai."  
  
-----  
  
Ranma woke quickly to a gentle touch to his forehead. His vision focused upon Kasumi's beautiful, worried face. Seeing that he was awake she smiled happily. It was like looking at a new sunrise. Seeing that smile reminded Ranma why he loved her so much, why he found it so easy to give her his love, why he gave to her his virginity. He did not sit up but let her continue what she was doing. Ranma enjoyed having Kasumi watch over him, he watched over her while on the island. Kasumi finished cleaning up his minor wounds. She knew they would heal up quickly, it was one of Ranma's usual abilities to heal rapidly. It had something to do with the high amounts of ki he was able to use. She smiled at him again and touch his cheek.  
  
"How are you feeling?" she asked.  
  
"Better," he replied. "Uh, where is Ryoga?"  
  
Kasumi suddenly had a very worried look on her face. "He's in the dojo right now. Akane is down there with him, he hasn't woken up yet."  
  
"As usual he didn't wait to listen to me, he and Akane are so much alike maybe I should have just let the jerk have her a long time ago." he sighed.  
  
"Ranma." Kasumi gasped in surprise.  
  
"Don't look at me like that and say that isn't how it is because you know it is how it has always been with Akane and me. She never listens to anything I say before flying off the frick'n handle and Ryoga's the same frick'n way." Ranma told her in defense. Kasumi looked like she was about to say something, but the look in her eyes told him that what he said made sense to her. And to think her own family believes her to be an air head out of touch with reality., he said to himself.  
  
"I'm sorry. You're right, it has been that way and we all allowed it." she replied sadly. A gentle touch to her cheek drew her gave to Ranma who was smile up at her.  
  
"Its ok. I mean, I ain't marrying her, I'm marrying you, and I already know how you really feel about me." he said softly.  
  
"I love you." she replied softly caressing his hand that gently touched her cheek.  
  
"But, you were right too." he said.  
  
"About what?" She looked at him with a somewhat perplex expression on her face.  
  
"About not calling her names anymore and trying to be nice and stuff. I ain't marrying her, but that can't mean that I can't try to be her friend." he said. Kasumi's smile could have melted the ice of the coldest heart in all of existence in that moment.  
  
Ranma moved to sit up and looked down at his ruined shirt. "Damn, that was favorite shirt. Frick'n Ryoga."  
  
"Uh, Ranma." said Kasumi, nervously.  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"There is something I haven't told you yet," she said, the look in her eye made Ranma a bit worried. "Something happened after the two of you were knocked out."  
  
"What, are-are you ok, is it the baby?" he asked sitting up quickly. She put her hands on his shoulders to reassure him quickly.  
  
"No. No. Its-Its your mother." she told him.  
  
"Mom? What about her?" He was up on his feet in a flash and headed for the door.  
  
"Ranma." He turned towards her, his heart nearly feel into his stomach at the sight of tears in her eyes.  
  
"Kasumi, you're scaring me. What happened?" he asked her.  
  
"Y-Y-Your mother and father had a fight about Ryoga and the others who were always interfering with your and Akane's engagement." she explained.  
  
Ranma smirked when he heard this. "So mom got after him for it, eh?"  
  
"It's a bit more serious than that. She's declared that h-he completely dishonored the Saotome clan's name by allowing it to go on, by promising you in more than a dozen different engagements after making the original promise to our clan, and for several other 'things' that became known to her." she said.  
  
"Like what 'things' and who told her?" he asked.  
  
She looked a little timid when she replied, "The Nekoken for starters, and it was Nabiki who told her everything."  
  
"I'll have to thank her later. So what's mom got in mind for pop?"  
  
Kasumi bit her lip and said, "She's filing for a divorce and having his name removed from the Saotome clan list." She hear a sound in front of her. When he looked up where Ranma stood all she saw was a quickly fading cloud of dust.  
  
"Oh my."  
  
-----  
  
Saotome Genma was nowhere to be seen the rest of the day. Soun could not really blame his oldest friend for not wanting to stay around. When his wife started to walk around with her sword, drawn, after their misunderstanding he quickly made himself scarce. The older woman was much calmer now, but in that brief moment during the fight Soun had seen a bit of his dear late Kimiko in her. She sat with him in the sitting room sipping a cup of tea she made for herself. She would not let Kasumi anywhere near the kitchen so she could tend to just Ranma for the time being. An eyebrow went up when she heard someone running down the steps.  
  
"Mom, what do you mean you're gonna divorce pop!?" Ranma demanded the second his feet reached the bottom step.  
  
Nodoka sipped her tea with grace for a moment then motioned for her son to join her at the table. She set the cup down and looked straight at him. "Son, I knew what kind of man your father was when married him many years ago, but I have recently received information which has shown me that he was far worse than even I was willing to admit."  
  
"Hey, pop ain't perfect, and some of his training ideas were really stupid but it ain't nothing to divorce him over." said Ranma.  
  
A few tears came to Nodoka's eyes. Ranma quieted down and just waited for her to go on. When she spoke he did not know what to say in reply. "You used to love cats. When you still lived at him we had a kitten and the two of you were such good friends."  
  
"Now, now you cannot even stand to be in their presence. Your father would always tell me that you shouldn't have the cat, that it would make you a sissy. But you loved him so much I couldn't take him away from you." she said and looked like she was on the verge of tears.  
  
Ranma looked at her with shock. "I-I-I had a cat?"  
  
"You named him Tomo, he was all black and white all over and had one blue eye and one green eye." his mother replied. "There is also the issue of the other engagements arranged by your father after making the promise to the Tendo clan." she added.  
  
"How many more iinazuke do I have?" asked Ranma. He heard Kasumi softly pad her way down the stairs. She took a set next to him wearing a very worried expression on her face.  
  
"Fifty seven if you're father's memory hasn't started slipping on him." said Nodoka.  
  
Ranma's eyes nearly popped out of head. "Fifty seven!"  
  
"Most haven't shown up yet to complete the agreements, but I think that is because most do not know where you are currently living." said Nodoka.  
  
"Fifty seven." Ranma repeated. Now he was looking a little green around the gills. Kasumi reached across the table to the tea service and poured him a cup.  
  
"This will help settle your nerves Ranma." Kasumi said as she set the cup down in front of him with a slightly forced smile.  
  
"Fifty seven."  
  
"Uh, Ranma."  
  
"Fifty seven."  
  
"Son, are you alright?" asked Soun.  
  
"Fifty seven."  
  
"Ranma dear, son?"  
  
"Oh my."  
  
"Fifty seven."  
  
-----  
  
Kasumi winced as she watched Ranma utterly demolish a straw-filled training dummy within less than a second. Tiny pieces of straw fall down around her, the only remains left of the thing after a savage amaguriken attack. Ranma had recovered from the shock of learning the truth about his father's many crimes. The coup de gras had been when Nabiki arrived with a huge pile of print outs indicating bills dating back more than ten years that were in excess of eight million yen, and all in his name. Some of the unpaid bills were acquired in his name when he was just three years old. Now he was in the yard, he was not ready to face Ryoga and Akane yet in the dojo, slaughtering unoffensive training equipment.  
  
The pig tailed boy closed his eyes for a moment, let out a breath and went over to sit down next to Kasumi at the edge of the koi pond.  
  
"I can't believe him. I really can't." he said. Kasumi put a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "How the frick'n hell does he expect me to pay off all that money?" He grabbed a small rock off the ground and skipped it across the pond.  
  
"It will be alright. Everything will turn out for the best." said Kasumi.  
  
Ranma smiled at her, it looked a little forced. "I'm glad one of us can be optimistic."  
  
"I just have a feeling everything will be alright." she told him with a gentle smile.  
  
Ranma pull her into a gentle embrace. Kasumi laid her head on his shoulder with a smile. "Yeah, we'll be alright." he said as a comforting feeling flowed through him at having Kasumi in his arms. He squeezed her just a little tighter and kissed her forehead. Somehow all the problems that weighed down on him seemed to just disappear when she was in his arms. Being with her made him happy. He wondered if it would have been like this if he had been with Akane instead. Ranma was not sure, but he knew he loved Kasumi and he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her. He also loved Akane and wanted to make sure she did not get roped into anything she did not want to do by her father. He was worried about the future, about his family, his mother, his father, and everything that has been happening up until now. He was worried for Kasumi, not just because of the pregnancy, but also because of the other girls. Ranma did not know what was going to happen this week. A lot had to be done. A lot was going to happen. All new knew was a new direction for his life had been taken and he was just trying to hold on for the rough ride.  
  
-----  
  
Akane could see through the windows in the dojo. She could see the happy smile on Kasumi's face with her head laying on Ranma's shoulder. She seemed to serene and happy there in his embrace. For a short moment she envisioned herself in Kasumi's place and wondered where it all went so wrong. That should be her out there in his arms, but life threw a strange twist at them and now a new direction had been taken for her life. The only thing was Akane was not sure where she was going.  
  
A sound brought her out of her revere and she turned to see Ryoga sitting up and rubbing his head. "Man, I have a whopper of a headache." he said.  
  
"Here." he looked up as Akane offered him a glass of water and and a packet of aspirin powder.  
  
He look them without saying anything for a moment, and downed the water with the powder. "Thanks." he said handing the empty glass to her.  
  
"Ryoga, why do you and Ranma fight so much?" she asked him.  
  
Ryoga did not look at her. "Its something that's between me and him."  
  
"I want to know, you aren't leaving until you give me an answer." she demanded.  
  
Ryoga cringed at the determined look on her face. "Uh, well, Akane- you see-"  
  
"Its me, isn't it? You two have been fighting over me all this time haven't you?" she asked him looking into his eyes. Ryoga did not answer for a few seconds, he eventually nodded and looked down at the floor.  
  
"How did you know that Ranma and Kasumi are engaged now?" she asked.  
  
Ryoga looked nervous but said, "I overheard Ranma talking to your father."  
  
Akane sat down next to him and looked out the windows at the clouds. "They fell in love when they were stranded together on that island. I never knew Kasumi felt that way about him, but I guess I was wrong."  
  
"If he really loved you he should have waited for you." Ryoga said with a growl.  
  
"They had no idea if they were going to ever see us again. Besides, we couldn't get back together if we wanted to." she said.  
  
"Why?" he looked at her questioningly.  
  
"Kasumi is-is-pregnant." she looked away.  
  
"P-P-P-Pregnant?" His eyes went wide with surprise and a tiny trickle of blood flowed from his nose.  
  
Akane nodded.  
  
"He wants to do what is right and marry her. I said something yesterday that I really shouldn't have," she said. "This morning I heard Ranma say he still loved me, a part of him at least, and that he cared about me."  
  
Ryoga could not reply, he just wanted for her to go on. "I'm still upset, I can't believe that Kasumi of all people would put the moves on Ranma or anyone for that matter. But, it happened and they're getting married now."  
  
"Akane, I-I-" he started to say and looked down at his hands.  
  
"You can say it, please." she put a hand on his shoulder to reassure him.  
  
"I-I-love you." he admitted and looked up at her, tears brimming his eyes.  
  
Akane wiped the tears from her own eyes and said, "I shouldn't have been so blind that I couldn't see it. I'm such a baka."  
  
"No, you're beautiful, and smart, and wonderful." he grabbed her shoulders firmly.  
  
"So wonderful that I made life for the man I loved a living hell day in and day out by not listening to him and hitting him whenever I got angry." she replied sadly.  
  
"But it was his fault-"  
  
"No, yesterday I was too filled with hurt and pain to see it, but now I can see it all clearly. The problem with Ranma and me was 'me'. He's better off being with Kasumi." she said and pulled her knees up under her chin.  
  
"Akane." Ryoga breather, he could not bare to see her like this.  
  
"I like you Ryoga, maybe something can grow out of that someday if we work at it, but right now I don't think it would a good idea for you stick around." she told him.  
  
"Why not?" he asked.  
  
She looked at him with a sad expression and said, "Ranma's mother and Nabiki had a long talk, and this she and his father had a really big fight. Their getting a divorce and she's out on a witch hunt after everyone who ever hurt her son."  
  
"She's really angry, huh." he said.  
  
"Would you be if you found out your spouse engaged your son to fifty seven iinazuke even though he was already promised to another before birth and ran up a bill for thirty million yen in his name over the years?" she asked him. Ryoga looked at her, his eyes looked like they were about to fly out of their sockets.  
  
"She's mad, really mad even though she might not look it. I think it would be a good idea if you stayed away until the heat is off." said Akane.  
  
"How long? I don't want to stay away forever." he said.  
  
"This week is going to be hell. Daddy told Ranma he wants him to marry Kasumi by the end of the week, so anything could happen." Akane replied.  
  
"Ok, I'll write you, I don't know where I'll be tomorrow but I promise I'll write you." he said. Akane helped him pack his futon back into his backpack, gave him something to eat on the road, and walked with him to the front gate.  
  
"I'm sorry." she said sadly."  
  
"Its ok, I'll write you and we can see from there." he said as he turned and headed down the street. She stayed to watch him go until he was out of sight. Akane closed the gate behind her and stopped when she saw Kasumi looking at sadly.  
  
"Akane." she said softly.  
  
"K-Kasumi-" Akane replied trying to find her voice.  
  
"I didn't do it to hurt you. I love you, but I love him too. I love him very much." said Kasumi.  
  
Akane looked up at her. "I love him."  
  
"I know."  
  
"Do yo hate me?" Kasumi asked.  
  
Akane closed her eyes squeezing out a few tears. "I'm angry, but I could never hate you. I-I-I just need a while Kasumi."  
  
"He still loves you too." Kasumi replied.  
  
"I know. But, I can't face him right now."  
  
Kasumi smiled softly and said, "You should tell him someday. When you're ready. Don't let this get in the way of you at least being friends."  
  
Akane headed towards the house saying, "Hai." Kasumi watched her go in and close the door behind her. Ranma came out of the shadows behind her and put his arm around her waist.  
  
"Its still too early." she said.  
  
He turned her towards the house and they walk silent towards the back porch. Unseen to the two of them on a distant rooftop someone was watching with interest. The shadowy figure watched the two go into the house via the back porch. It turned, climbing up onto its gnarled old walking stick and pogo sticked away.  
  
"So, that strange feeling I had last night was because of son-in-law. So you and Kasumi are now engaged, how interesting." the figure said out loud to herself as she bounded away into the distance.  
  
---------- To be continued... 


	4. Chapter 4

DISCLAIMER: Ranma ½ is the registered trademark of Viz Communications, Kitty Films, and Rumiko Takahashi.  
  
----------  
  
Inspired by Adrian D. Moten's "Kasumi 1/2"  
  
A N E W D I R E C T I O N T A K E N  
  
by Michael "TheZorch" Haney  
  
----------  
  
Chapter 4  
  
The Next Day...  
  
It was a school day. Ranma was dreading it the moment he woke up. He could feel it in his bones that it was going to be a really bad day today. Maybe he was being a little too paranoid, but considering what happens in his life day-in and day-out it was best to be cautious. Breakfast was not as tense as it had been a for the past few days. Akane sat with the family this time but she did not say anything and avoided looking at Ranma and Kasumi. At Kasumi's urging Nabiki had gone up to Akane's room to talk to her again. She sat at the table looking back and forth between her younger and older sisters with a worried look on her face. What Akane had said that night was worrying her.  
  
Nabiki was happy to see that Akane had not been crying when she went up to talk to her. She was sitting at her desk looking out the window instead. The Akane that she saw was not the Akane that Nabiki knew. This Akane was quiet and looked depressed and sullen. Perhaps she even looked even more so than the day before. That was what really worried her. Nabiki knew Akane was extremely impressionable and her emotions usually leaned towards the extreme. In other words, her little sister was not taking very well at all. The panda, like yesterday, was still absent from the house.  
  
"Akane." she said.  
  
"Kasumi sent you to talk to me." Akane said, her voice seemed devoid of life.  
  
"We're all worried about you." said Nabiki. "Me, daddy, Kasumi, Auntie Saotome, and even Ranma."  
  
Akane did not turn to look at her when she replied, "I heard something yesterday I never thought I'd ever hear, and it made me realize just how horrible a person I am."  
  
"I'm a bitch, a lier-" she spat slamming her fist against the desk.  
  
Nabiki was behind her immediately. Showing an uncharacteristic amount of concern she grabbed Akane's hand. "You aren't those things, who told you that you were?"  
  
"I heard what Ranma said to daddy yesterday," said Akane. "Even though he's with Kasumi now he still-still-he cares about me and doesn't want daddy trying to marry me off to anyone else. He doesn't want me to feel used or be hurt anymore."  
  
Nabiki smiled a bit. "That part did surprise me a bit, but then again he did always care about you even though he would never say it. Its also refreshing to see Ranma-baby grow a backbone, too." She secretly wished Kuno luck in the next few days. They were likely going to be very painful for the bokken headed baka.  
  
Akane looked up at her. "That's the point. I care about him and I never told him. Not even when we talked before the wedding I still couldn't say it." She looked away at the window again. "To make it worse I blamed him for what happened at the wedding when it was clearly someone else's fault." Nabiki winced at that. She had already learned to eat crow because of that mistake. She never realized that Akane had actually wanted the wedding, and seeing her so angry and frustrated over it made her realize what a mistake she had made in inviting the others. She knew they would never let the wedding happen, she knew that Shampoo, Ukyo, Kodachi, and Kuno would do everything they could to keep her youngest sister and Ranma from marrying. She did what she thought was the right thing to do at the time, but good intentions have a way of turning bad.  
  
"I already said I'm sorry about that." she said.  
  
"It's probably for the best," said Akane. "We'd just be fighting most of the time. I'd be accusing him of cheating on me every time Shampoo showed up or Ukyo gave him okonomiyaki. He's better off without me in his life."  
  
"What Ranma said to daddy couldn't have brought all this on." Nabiki said as she sat down on the bed. She leaned forward and turned her sister around to face her. "Why do you suddenly feel this way?"  
  
"It wasn't just what Ranma said to daddy," Akane admitted. "I listened in on his parent's argument last night."  
  
Nabiki's eyebrow went up. "I think all of Nerima heard that argument." She quickly squared a look at her sister and asked, "You don't think she was talking about you when she yelled at that fat panda about him letting people mistreating Ranma do you?"  
  
Akane looked at her. "She lived under the same roof with us for a few months since their house was demolished. She probably wasn't talking about just me, but I know she was thinking about me when she said all those things to him."  
  
"She was mad enough to ask for a divorce," said Nabiki. "I'd say she got fed up with the way people were treating him and how he was being pretty much forced to just live with it."  
  
Akane sighed, "When she looks at me, its not the same anymore. I can see that she's angry with me." Since that day she had been unable to look the Saotome matriarch in the eye. She would see something there that hinted at disapproval. Akane could not bare that look.  
  
"So you made a few mistakes, you shouldn't write yourself off as a bad person because of it." Nabiki told her. Akane's emotional state was already hanging by a string, she certainly did not need this added to it. Still, Nabiki could not bring herself to hate Ranma or his mother for Akane's state of mind. She herself had been witness to Akane's numerous mood swings and out-of-control rages. The ones she blamed was a wannabe samurai and a number of hormone overdosed baka at Furinken High.  
  
Akane shook her head. "Did you know that Ryoga was in love with me?"  
  
"That was no secret Akane, let me tell you." Nabiki replied with a smirk.  
  
Akane turned back towards her and replied loudly, "He was fighting with Ranma all this time over me, and what did I do? I defended him, I hit Ranma for picking on him and fighting with him, and he was just competing with him over me! Do you have any idea how that makes me feel? I realized yesterday that I've been pushing the man I love away from me for two years without even knowing it! As far as I know he probably thinks I hate him!"  
  
"I didn't even know he was in love with me until he confessed to me yesterday in the dojo yesterday," she added. "I was such a mess at the time I didn't know whether to be mad at him, to be happy, or whatever. I just warned him about Ranma's mom and told him it might be better if he leaves for a while."  
  
"Yeah, Ryoga would be high on Auntie Nodoka's shit list right now." said Nabiki. "I might be on it too because of those pictures I sold to Kuno baby." she whispered.  
  
"Nabiki, it helps to talk about this, thanks and everything, but could I be alone right now." Akane said as she laid her head on her arms. She did not even try to stop the tears from coming.  
  
The middle Tendo sister put her hand on Akane's shoulder before leaving. As she closed the door she said, "If you want to talk you know where my room is."  
  
-----  
  
"She's a real mess."  
  
Ranma could not look at Nabiki. He was not really sure what she thought of him. He knew she was very protective of her family and used all of her skills to make those who hurt the ones she cared for pay for it in spades. He did not feel the same cold demeanor focused on him like in the past when Nabiki was upset with him for something.  
  
"She left before we did, I guess she doesn't want to see me right now." said Ranma. Akane still had not said anything to him. She did speak briefly with Kasumi the other day but that was all.  
  
"She loves you, she may never have said it out loud but she loves you." Nabiki told him. How could the two of them be so blind to how they felt for each other?, she thought to herself.  
  
Ranma let out a sad little laugh. "She had a funny way of showing it."  
  
Nabiki kicked the fence he was balanced on with all her might making Ranma wave his arms to remain steady. "You have a lot of gall to talk, why didn't you ever tell her how you felt?" She directed her best "catch them off their guard angry Ice Queen" expressions.  
  
"Well-I-uh-" he stammered.  
  
Nabiki sighed and rubbed her face in exasperation. She knew the answer to that question but she wanted to make sure he knew it too. This whole thing was neither the fault of Ranma or her younger sister. The fault was centered on two baka who were so determined to get them married that they did not realize that their actions were actually driving the two apart. In other words, they were being pressured too much, way too much. Her father could be such a baka. Of course, based on what she learned from Ranma's mother the other day she could see why they wanted to get them married so fast. Greed could make people blind to common sense, she knew this all too well. Nodoka said that Genma knew nothing of her family's wealth but the father's rush to try and get them married certain said otherwise. She made a mental note to look into it.  
  
"I'm not trying to get you two to make up and go back to the way you were," she told him, her expression more emotion than she had ever shown anyone in a long time. "That isn't possible now, but I'd at least like to see you speaking to one another. Also, Akane is on this whole self- loathing trip right now because of that little speech you made to daddy yesterday, and what your mother said to your baka father last night."  
  
She heard him sigh sadly. "I was out of it when they fought. Pop ran off so I guess what she said must of scared him senseless."  
  
Nabiki laughed, it sounded hollow. "She threatened to cut off his-uh- male appendage if one more iinazuke appeared out of the wood work."  
  
Ranma snorted a tiny laugh. "Knowing pop's luck one more will show up."  
  
"Are you-um-going to sell this info or something today?" he asked. He immediately regretted it when he looked at expression.  
  
"I'll ignore that you asked me that question, Saotome. Info like this can be dangerous." she replied keeping her voice even.  
  
Ranma leapt down beside her and bowed his head. "I'm sorry. It was just-"  
  
"Expected of me. Do you really think I'm that heartless, Saotome?" she asked him.  
  
"After being engaged to you once I kinda have a hard time not thinking that way." he told her. Nabiki's angry expression turned sad for a moment. She realized then that she had been just as bad towards Ranma as her sister and the others had been. He came to the Tendo dojo two years before heartbroken and sad. What the poor boy had wanted more in the world was a friend, what he got was a iinazuke who could not stand him, and a future sister-in-law who saw him as a money-making opportunity.  
  
"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have treated you that way or lied to you saying I was in love with you." she admitted. Ranma looked at her with a shocked expression. Nabiki, saying she was sorry. Was the world ending? He could imagine they were passing out parkas in a certain fiery place far down below.  
  
She smirked at him with a playful expression and added, "But, I do admit I was really tempted to keep you for myself. After all, you do have a really cute butt." Ranma reddened a bit, but did not react in the same skittish way she always did. She guessed getting some finally got the pigtailed wonder-boy over his shyness with girls and anything regarding intimacy. Nabiki made a mental note to talk to Kasumi to find out how good he was. From her muffled screams the other night Nabiki assumed he had to be at least above average.  
  
"Well, I think that maybe-" he began to say and turned away with a deeper blush then continued. "Maybe the boys at school don't give you enough of attention. You are very pretty and any guy would be happy to be with you. You know." This time it was her turn to look at him with a surprised expression.  
  
"You think I'm pretty?" she asked him, still looking shocked.  
  
"Remember I accidentally walked in on you in the bath once," he said with a roguish smirk. "You could give Shampoo a real run for her money." Nabiki felt warmth wash over he face and shoulders, she knew she had to be blushing so brightly she nearly glowed. Here she was, the Ice Queen of Furinken High, and it took this almost-too-good-to-be-true schoolboy to turn her into putty. Had she made a mistake in passing him over two years ago? It was a question she began to ask herself over and over again lately.  
  
He scratched the back of his head. "Heh, it took me four months to pay off the hush money you charged me for that one."  
  
"Maybe I've been too 'not nice' to you Ranma." she said, her expression as she looked at him suddenly softening. That look on Nabiki's face was certainly way out of character. Ranma had seen it on many a girl's face before, but this time he did not freak out at the admiring gaze she directed at him.  
  
"I'm used to it," he waved at her. "It ain't nothing close to what I got when I traveled with pop on the road."  
  
"That's the point Ranma, when has it been since anyone was nice to you since you came here to Nerima?" she asked him. Oh, Kami-sama, I cannot be falling for him, I can't!, her mind screamed, but she ignored it.  
  
"Well, there was Kasumi, the doc is always nice to me, and there was that nice old lady who runs the fruit stand in the Furinken market." he said counting off the people he knew.  
  
"But what about people in my family beside my oldest sister? She's nice even to Happosai. I can't believe how you've lived with all this emotional hurt being thrown at you all the time." For the first time Nabiki began to admire Ranma for his ability to hide his emotions so well. He usually was a man of extremes, either outrageously happy or outrageously angry, but he never lashed out against anyone in real anger. There were times he hit his father during practice. Of course, they usually did not hold back during practice either. Perhaps, that was the way he vented his daily frustration. It certainly was not healthy. Knowing how powerful he was Nabiki really did not want to know what might happen if Ranma lashed out when he was really really pissed off.  
  
"What are you trying to say?" he asked her wondering where she was going with this.  
  
"When you came here, you wanted a friend so bad," said Nabiki, her expression was very uncharacteristically soft, and Ranma had to admit it made her look even cuter than she was. "When Akane asked you to spar in the dojo and be friends your face literally lit up. I should have seen it a long time ago." Before he knew it she closed the distance between them and had her arms wrapped around him in a hug. It took a few seconds for the shock to wear off before Ranma responded hugging her back.  
  
"I really envy Kasumi." she said with a sigh as she leaned against his chest. Feeling the heat of his blush, Nabiki stepped back and held out her hand to him. "Hi, my name's Nabiki, you wanna be friends?" Ranma smiled as he reached out without apprehension. Another new direction had been taken, this time he knew where it was going and it looked like smooth sailing ahead.  
  
-----  
  
"What's up with Akane, she's been quiet all day?" Yuka asked her friend Sayori as they waited for the next class to begin. The two girls looked over at Akane who sat just ahead of them in the next row. It was clear from her expression that she was sad and depressed.  
  
"I wonder if she and Ranma had another fight." Sayori wondered with a whisper.  
  
"I bet he really did something really awful this time." Yuka replied staring daggers at the pigtailed boy's back.  
  
"Lets ask her at lunch." Sayori whispered. Yuka and a few of their other friends who sat within earshot all nodded.  
  
For Ranma the school day had not been a good one. It was clear to everyone that something was not right. Akane's depressed expression was clear evidence of that. Also, the way she dealt with Kuno that morning was another clear piece of evidence. When he and Nabiki finally reached the school before the gates closed they found a large crowd gathered around the body of one Kuno Tatawaki. He had been painfully twisted into a human pretzel. It was clear to Ranma that the school nurse was not going to be enough to take care of the injuries he received this time. Just by looking the pigtailed martial artist was certain Kuno had many dislocated joints and just as many broken bones. When Nabiki asked around she told him that it was Akane who did it.  
  
The bokken wielding baka had entered into the same old flowery spiel about how lovely she was and how wondrous their love was in spite of the foul sorcerer's interference. His trek into this "world of pain" was triggered by his Amazon-class glomp with a breast grope added for good measure. Akane said nothing nor did her expression change when she immediately set about twisting the unsuspecting hentai into a piece of modern art.  
  
Nabiki was already in homeroom when she heard the ambulance she called pull away from the school with its siren screaming. "Kuno-baby you picked the wrong day to mess with my little sister." she sighed and shook her head.  
  
In Homeroom 1F someone else noticed Akane's depressed attitude and she saw it as her opportunity to finally make her move. Ukyo had been wondering about Ranma's change is behavior. He was acting so out of character when it came to girls. Since did Ranma honey were flirt with her? Actually flirt, with a girl, any girl, especially herself and Shampoo. It was so unreal, unbelievable, yet it happened. Now she saw Akane sitting there as if her whole world had suddenly fallen apart on her. Maybe he finally came to his senses and dropped that emotional cripple., Ukyo hoped in her thoughts. It was almost lunch time, she decided to go see Ranma and find out what was going on. She immediately changed her mind. He likely would not want to talk about it, she could see a bit of a sad look on his face too, but not as intense as Akane's. The okonomiyaki chef decided the best source of info was the one she usually went to. She just hoped that Nabiki would not charge her up the nose.  
  
At lunch Ukyo looked at Nabiki with an expression of shock. Nabiki had flat out refused to sell any information to her and Akane's friends. Even when she waved a handful of five thousand yet in the girl's face she did not waver.  
  
"Some things aren't worth selling at any price, you'll have to wait until they are ready to tell you what's going on." Nabiki told them.  
  
This was why Ukyo found herself sitting next to the pigtailed boy now with her cooking gear laid out before her. A little of her world famous cooking might loosen his lips a little, or the old Saotome foot-in-mouth disease would kick in and he would say something before realizing what he said. She noticed that he did not bring a lunch with him today. Ukyo thought that very odd. Did Akane cook again this morning? If so she did not blame him. Kasumi usually cooked lunch for them. She thought about it and realized that Akane had brought her lunch with her. She looked over to where the youngest Tendo was sitting with her protective circle of friends and saw she was eating. Warning signals went off suddenly in her head. Akane was eating, eating out of her bento, and if she was eating out of her bento it meant that she did not make it. What the hell was happening?  
  
"Ok Ranma honey, what will it be to-" she began to say when a sight appeared out of the throngs of students sitting in the yard that made her freeze in her track of thought.  
  
A number of boys, nearly all of them, almost suffered terminal whiplash when they turned towards the person sauntering through school yard. A vision of absolute beauty, a heavenly angel descended from on high, walked among them. Her supple calves flashed as the wind played with the hem of her knee length sun dress, and her waist length brown hair flowed around her heavenly face. The light blush on her cheeks only served to make her even cuter than she already was.  
  
Nabiki noticed and her hands instinctively reach up to catch her eyes before they popped out of her skull. "What a way to make an entrance big sis." she said with a smile. She noticed even a faint hint of makeup, as if Kasumi actually needed that to make herself look good. In the blushing girl's hands were two perfectly wrapped bento boxes. She had this planned, I haven't given her enough credit., Nabiki realized seeing what her sister was carrying. Her keen eyes though picked up movement over by the front gate of the school. She saw what looked like someone in a kimono carrying some kind of wrapped bundle. Oh, so this is 'your' doing, you have no idea what kind of can of worms you risk opening., Nabiki realized recognizing the older woman immediately.  
  
"Oh my, you forgot your lunch this morning Ranma." Kasumi said in her sweetest voice when she reached the pigtailed boy in question. Ukyo was still too stunned for words. She knew Kasumi was pretty, heck she was probably the prettiest girl in Nerima, but dressed like that and with a tiny touch of make up-she-she made Ukyo feel very self conscious about her own looks as a woman. Hastily she reached up and loosened the first few buttons of her boy's uniform to show a little bit of the cleavage her chest wrap could not hide. She also undid the tie holding up her hair and let it fall free.  
  
The eldest of the Tendo sisters smiled sweetly when Ranma patted the ground next to him and she quickly sat down. Ukyo noticed the most peculiar glazed looked to Ranma's eyes when he looked at the older girl. Kasumi blushed a bit when the wind kicked up flashing her Chiyo-chan panties to half the school yard. Nearly half the male population of Furinken that day passed out from sudden excessive blood loss.  
  
"I made you're favorite." she smiled as she handed one of the bento to Ranma who graciously accepted it. Ukyo narrowed her eyes a bit when she noticed that their hands lingered together for a brief moment before he took the wrapped lunch. Ok, now I really need to know what's going on., she determined silently.  
  
"Wow, it looks awesome Kasumi, but then everything you make looks and tastes good." Ranma said after opening the box to reveal an almost perfectly prepared meal. As lunches go it was nearly a feast. Ukyo realized the box was larger than a regular bento. And, was the sauce on the rice drawn in a heart shape?  
  
"Uh, what's going on here Ranma honey?" Ukyo got up the nerve to ask. Something deep inside told her she really did not want to know.  
  
"We're eating lunch." Ranma replied pausing before stuffing a piece of takuyaki into his mouth.  
  
"Since when does Kasumi bring your lunch to school, and dressed to kill on top of it?" she demanded, that had not been the answer she was looking for.  
  
Ranma sighed and set his bento down. He turned to Kasumi and told her softly, "I'll be right back, this has to be done." A chill traveled up Ukyo's back when he said that looked at her with a sad expression. No, it can't be., she tried to tell herself but did not succeed very well.  
  
"Ucchan, we need to talk, come on." he told her and she followed him. When they were behind the gardener's shed he turned to her. Ranma winced a bit seeing the con fused and frightened look on the beautiful girl's face. Ukyo was very pretty, he had to agree. He did call her cute two years ago when he met her again, and discovered she had really been a girl. Now she looked vulnerable and scared. He really did not want to have to do this but he knew he had get it done with. He was going to be a married man by the end of the week and all loose ends needed to be tied. Starting with Ukyo was the best choice. Shampoo and Kodachi were going to be hard, and having Ukyo out of the way early was a good idea.  
  
He valued her friendship, and he hoped to whatever Kami were watching right now that he would not loose that friendship after he said what he was about to say.  
  
Somewhere in Asgard a beautiful platinum haired goddess sitting at a computer terminal sneezed violently.  
  
"What's going on, Ranma honey?" Ukyo asked him shakily.  
  
"Ucchan, I-I don't know how to say this, but by the end of the week I'm going to be a married man." he said. There, get it over with fast Ranma., he told himself.  
  
"Nani?" she gasped, that chill running down her back suddenly turned arctic.  
  
"A lot of stuff happened to us on that island, it was really tough," he told her and sat down on the big concrete roller used to flatten out the sand in the school's baseball diamond. "We had few supplied, no medicine, we had to rely on each other for a lot of things."  
  
"That's why Akane's so depressed isn't it?" said Ukyo, it more of a statement than really a question. From the eldest Tendo sister's entrance she could have guessed that.  
  
Ranma sighed, he did to do this to the girl but had to be done. "Ucchan, she's pregnant."  
  
Ukyo gasped and her hand flew to her mouth. "I'm the father." he added and looked up at her with an expression that apologetic and a little sad at the same time.  
  
"It didn't happen overnight, it took a little while," he explained to her. "I guess she did secretly like me for a long time, and with us being alone for so long-" He would have continued but Ukyo interrupted him with her baker's peel. Ranma had not been off guard, he was well out of the way of her swing which easily cleaved the concrete roller in half.  
  
"How could you do this to me!?" she cried. She heaved her weapon out of the earth and turned on him again. "I'm your cute iinazuke remember!?"  
  
"Hey, its not like I was out to hurt you or anything, it just happened." Ranma said in his own defense dodging another swing aimed at his head.  
  
Ukyo fell to her knees, tears streamed down her face and she dropped her baker's peel. "Why, why?"  
  
Ranma knelt down and turned her face up to his. His heart broke at the anguish in those eyes. She really does love me., he realized. "Ucchan, I'm sorry, but I never loved you the way you want me to. I do love you with all my heart, but as a friend. I can't be your husband."  
  
"We've been friends for a long time, I care about you. I really do. And, I hope this don't get in the way of that cause I still want us to be friends." he said but did not really sound all that convinced himself things would turn out that way. His heart immediately poured out as he said, "I've been a real baka. I thought I could make everyone happy, you, Akane, Shampoo, even that nut bar Kodachi, but I can't. Its not possible to give everyone what they want and fix it so nobody gets hurt. I'm so sorry, please don't hate me Ucchan, please." He fell to his knees in front of her with tears streaming down his face. His father's voice cried out in his head that real men do not cry, but he silenced the voice immediately. Since when did any advice from his father actually helped him. All it got him was a world of pain and heartache.  
  
"Ranma honey, I could never hate you," Ukyo told him kneeling down in front of him and pulling him into an embrace. "None of this is your fault, that baka is to blame for this. He lied to my father, to you, and because of him we have to suffer. I know you can't make everyone happy, I-I-"  
  
They heard a faint footfall in the sand they looked up to see Kasumi's concerned face. She and Ukyo looked at one another for a long moment before the okonomiyaki chef worked up enough strength so say something.  
  
"I'm glad its you, sugar, rather than that hot headed sister of yours." she said, and gave the older girl a friendly but obviously forced smile.  
  
"Kasumi?" Ranma said to her questioningly. The eldest Tendo sister smiled at him and turned to Ukyo. She knelt down to her knees and looked up into the younger girl's tear filled eyes.  
  
"I came because I wanted to tell you how much I love him," she said. "I never realized how enamored I had become with Ranma until we were alone. I was hurt and frightened. He stayed by me the whole time and I saw in him things that no one else was ever patient enough to see-"  
  
Ukyo waved her to stop and she smiled at her, this time it did not seem all that forced. "I couldn't be mad at you Kasumi. And, I can't blame Ranma honey for falling for you. A man would have to be blind not to do that." I guess that means the doc is the most blind man in Nerima., she realized.  
  
Kasumi tried to speak again but Ukyo shushed her. "Let me finish, sugar. You're pretty and your cooking doesn't crawl away under its own power. What I'm trying to say is, I can clearly see the better woman has won."  
  
"I know you are disappointed, I am certain some way can be found to compensate your family for the injustice committed against you by Saotome Genma." said Kasumi.  
  
"Mom's divorcing pop," Ranma told Ukyo, the chef looked at him with a shocked expression. "She forced him to tell all during an argument the other night and now she's out to find everyone who ever hurt me and got in the way of me and Akane and make them pay. Somehow."  
  
Ukyo shuddered a little remember his mother's katana. "I don't really know what I'm gonna tell my father. I guess I could just stay here in Nerima instead of go back home."  
  
Kasumi looked at her with concern. "You don't think he'll-that he will-disown you do you?"  
  
Ukyo shook her head. "I don't know, but once my dad gets ideas in his head its impossible to get him out of it."  
  
"You're not upset with me?" Ranma asked her in a hopeful tone.  
  
She smiled at him and said, "I wouldn't be a good best friend if I didn't forgive you." She wiped a few tears from her eyes with the cuff of her school uniform. "I guess I know now why Nabiki refused to sell any info to me."  
  
"You tried to buy info from Nabiki?" asked Ranma.  
  
"She wouldn't budge for anything. Even Yuka and Sayori tried to buy info out of her and she refused to say anything saying you had to be the one to tell us." Ukyo replied.  
  
Thanks Nabiki., Ranma said to himself and made a mental note to tell her just that the next time he saw her today. The three returned with just enough time to finish lunch. By the time class started rumors were flying all over school of their own accord, this time Nabiki was not at the center of things. In the hallway Ranma briefly told her what had happened. When she told him she saw his mother at the school gates he rolled his eyes. It figures his mom would do something like this.  
  
"You want me to do a little damage control?" Nabiki asked him.  
  
"What good will it do, rumors are already flying around school and if you started trying to change the story people might get suspicious." he told her. Nabiki nodded her head, she had to agree trying to get this situation under control would have stretched the limits of her formidable abilities as the Tendo Clan Mercenary and Ice Queen of Furinken High.  
  
"Sis looked...interesting today." Nabiki commented as they neared the door to her room.  
  
"Interesting? Uh, that ain't the word. Just about every guy in the school yard was drooling buckets when she walked out in that dress. She was a goddess." Ranma replied, a glazed Dr. Tofu-ish look was plastered on his face..  
  
Nabiki laughed a bit, it was a nice sound coming from her. It was not the same condescending laugh she usually used. "I knew big sis was pretty, but she could beat Shampoo any day in the looks department. I'm just glad the old man wasn't here to see her or it would have been a nightmare."  
  
"Speaking of the 'old man', I haven't seen the little freak around for a while." said Ranma. And the more I don't see of him the better., he said to himself.  
  
"Be careful Ranma, remember what daddy always said, 'speak behind his back and master comes back'." she grinned at him like a Cheshire cat when she said that.  
  
"Feh! The longer he's gone the better, he's probably sorting his collection or whatever." he replied.  
  
"You'd better go or you'll be standing in the hall." Nabiki warned him when she looked up at the clock. It would not be until after school was out when they would see one another again. All during school Ranma could hear the hens clucking away at all the fresh gossip thanks to his mother jumping the gun. The two worst hens were Yuka and Sayori. At one time he knew the two had a crush on him for a while, but Akane's many stories of how horrible he was spoiled that quickly. Now the two girls looked at him with suspicion. Akane did not seem to even be paying attention in class, she sat there stairing off into space. When the final bell rang Akane was one of the first out the door. Ranma tried to catch up to her but she was already gone with her friends in tow.  
  
"Let her come to you." he heard Nabiki say behind him. She turned to her and smile warmly at his new "friend". The middle Tendo sister, once the bane of his existence, was now almost a different person in his eyes. "Don't rush it, when she's ready to talk about it she'll say something to you. Just don't fly off the handle at what she says."  
  
Ranma nodded. "I'll try. Ok. I'll try."  
  
"Hey, you wanna get an ice cream before heading home? My treat." he asked her as they passed the gates of the school yard.  
  
"I think maybe you have something more important to do." she told him and pointed over his shoulder. Ranma turned around and saw Kasumi standing at the end of the block. She wore a more demure dress this time. It was the shoulderless type she had begun wearing around the house lately. The beautiful eldest Tendo sister had her hands folded in front of her and a light blush was painted across her heavenly face.  
  
"Yeah, I guess I do." he said without turning his gaze from the lovely vision. Nabiki shook her head in wonder of the pigtailed boy. There was a time even the loveliest face in all of Japan could not turn his head, and now he was transfixed by the image of her big sister like a moth to a flame. Damn, she's uber-cute in anything she wears., she realized looking at her older sister and suddenly felt very self-conscious about her own figure again.  
  
"I have an appointment to see Dr. Tofu to check on the baby and I thought you might want to come." said Kasumi when Ranma reached her. Ranma froze for a moment. This was the one thing he forgot about. Dr. Tofu! How was he going to take all of this, his being with the woman he know the doc was crazy over. Ranma could remember the way the doc would flake out whenever Kasumi was around. Whenever he saw him running around town with Betty his skeleton on his back he knew Kasumi had gone to visit him. Of course, Kasumi only saw the doc as a friend and not really a love interest. Some attraction was there, mostly on the doc's part. They were about to enter uncharted waters, but Ranma as not too concern about what lay ahead.  
  
The walk to the Tofu Chiropractic Clinic was not a long one. It was very close to Furinken High, which was a good thing due to all the martial arts battles that take place there from time to time. The waiting room was vacant today the couple noticed as they walked in. The bell on the door chimed as it closed telling Dr. Tofu he had guests. He stepped out of his office and into the waiting room. He was expecting Kasumi today for her first prenatal checkup. When he saw both of them standing together Dr. Tofu let out a small sigh. I guess maybe my premonition was correct., he told himself. He knew where Kasumi had been the past six months. She was far enough along that he knew she had to have gotten pregnant during that time. Since she and Ranma were alone, well, he was able to put two and two together rather easily. He was greatly surprised that the father was Ranma. The boy seemed to be so adverse towards forming any lasting relationship with a girl let alone having sex with one.  
  
Stay calm, she needs this checkup., the doctor told himself as he found his center. "Well, good afternoon Kasumi, Ranma, come this way." He escorted the couple to one of the examination rooms and closed the door. Ranma noticed a strange looking machine sitting in the corner of the room he had not seen before.  
  
"That's a portable ultrasound machine. Picked it up when you both were missing." Ono explained after seeing where Ranma was looking so intently.  
  
"What's a ultrasound-whatchamacallit?" the pigtailed boy asked. It sounded like a weapon from one of those anime Miss. Hinako always liked to watch.  
  
"It uses high frequency sound to produce images on the screen of what is inside a person's body," the doctor explained then pointed at the strange wedge shaped device attacked to the box with a cable. "That's the wand that emits the sound. When the baby is further along we can see what he or she looks like with this machine. Its also good for looking at broken bones without having to do an x-ray."  
  
"That's cool." Ranma replied. He could see how useful having the gadget at the clinic would be for the doc. Dr. Tofu prompted Kasumi to sit down the examination table and began to ask her questions about how she had been feeling. Kasumi explained about the morning sickness and tired spells. All of which the doc told her were normal. That at least made Ranma feel a little better, he knew nothing about pregnancy at all.  
  
Ranma found it curious that the doc did not ask him to leave when the physical part of the exam began. He could see the doc's hand were visibly shaking when he checked her in different places with his rubber gloved hands. I'm so sorry for doing this to ya doc, but I love her., Ranma said to himself. When the exam was over Kasumi slipped back on her dress and Dr. Tofu asked her wait while he and Ranma went out to the waiting room.  
  
"How is she doc?" Ranma asked him.  
  
"She's perfectly fine, thanks to you. Even that broken leg has healed up nicely." Dr. Tofu told him with a smile. His face quickly became serious and the doc reached up and pushed his glasses back up onto his nose. "Ranma, I pretty much guessed who the father is, so I have got just one question to ask you." he said.  
  
"What are you going to do about it?" he asked the youth.  
  
"Well, we're getting married, and I'm planning on working with Nabiki to find ways to make some cash so I can take care of her." Ranma told him. The doctor nodded.  
  
"I have another question, how do you feel about her?" Ono asked him.  
  
Ranma looked the man straight in the eye. His replied shocked the doctor to his core. Had he heard Ranma correctly? Did he say what I think he just said? "Doc, I love her with all my heart. I want to do what is right for her and baby." said Ranma.  
  
"Wow, I'm amazed considering your history with girls," said Ono as he scratched his head in puzzlement. "I can see why you'd fall for Kasumi, she is great. How did all of his happen, what brought you two together besides being stuck alone for six months?"  
  
"She admitted that she secretly liked me but kept it quiet for Akane's sake, but when we were alone she said she just couldn't hold back anymore and me being so nice and care towards her made her love me even more." Ranma explained.  
  
Dr. Tofu sighed and shook his head. "I guess not even a girl like Kasumi is immune to the Ranma Charm. What about the other girls?"  
  
Ranma scratched the back of his head nervously. "Well, I had a talk with Ukyo today, so she's not a problem anymore, but there's still Shampoo and the old ghoul. I don't even want to think about that nut case sister of Kuno's."  
  
"You mean Ms. Kodachi?" Ono asked. He knew of her but never met the girl. What he did hear about her made him worry about that whole family. There was an old saying that madness runs in a family, but this was ridiculous.  
  
"Yeah, her, the Black Rose. She's a real wild card." said Ranma.  
  
Dr. Tofu smiled at him and said, "Well, if anyone were to win her heart I'm glad it was you Ranma. I know you won't let he down, you always keep your promises and try to do your best for people."  
  
"I ain't perfect. I was part of the problem between me and Akane, I coulda been nicer, but hey it happens sometimes." Ranma replied.  
  
"So you called off the engagement with Akane." Dr. Tofu nodded.  
  
"Yeah, kinda had to. Mom liked the idea, she can't wait to have grandkids." Ranma replied with a smile.  
  
"I can't imagine the change went over well with the fathers." said Ono. He knew just how adamant the Saotome and Tendo patriarch were about joining the schools. They certainly had to have put up a fight over this., he imagined.  
  
"Not really, Mr. Tendo liked the idea, in fact he wanted me to marry Kasumi right away. Something about not making her look bad when news about her be'in pregnant got out." Ranma told him.  
  
"I kinds agree, I don't want Kasumi be'in seen as a bad person or anything. She's really sweet and caring. I guess that's why I fell in love with her." he added. Me too., Ono replied in this thoughts.  
  
"What about your father?" Ono asked him.  
  
Ranma's expressed turned a little sad. "He ran off. He and mom had a big fight and she asked for a divorce. After that he split and hasn't been home in two days."  
  
"I'm sorry, it isn't easy for someone at your age to see your parents break up.' Dr. Tofu said apologetically.  
  
"Hey, don't sweat it. The baka had it coming with all the stuff he did to me over the years. Heck I'll still love the guy, but respect ain't something he's earned."  
  
"I guess not, we'd better go back to Kasumi or she'll think I'm giving you the third degree out here." Dr. Tofu said turning back towards the exam rooms.  
  
"Doc, I'm sorry I stole Kasumi from you. It ain't like I was intending to, but stuff happens. I know you like her a lot and all. I-" he tried to say but Dr. Tofu turned around and shushed him.  
  
"Ranma, as long as you love her, take good care of her, and make her happy I'll be content. Her wellbeing is my first and most important priority right now." he told him.  
  
Ranma gave him a happy yet also very relieved smile. "Doc, you ain't got to worry about that. She'll be taken care of really well by me."  
  
"Good. Why don't you two stay for some tea before going home." Ranma smiled and nodded as they headed back to the examination room.  
  
-----  
  
The ancient Amazon matriarch balanced herself on her staff in the middle of the kitchen of the Nekohauten while deep in thought. What she had seen puzzled her the day before. Ranma and Kasumi seemingly together. Akane's strange behavior towards them. If only she had been closer to hear what they'd been saying, but she knew that Ranma would have detected her. The boy has progressed in ways she had not even begun to imagine. To have been able to defeat or even kill the great lord of Phoenix Mountain was a feat beyond even her impressive skills. She was not so much afraid of Ranma as she was wary of him. Cologne also would never admit to being afraid of a man, but something in the back of her mind which could be called fear began to spring up after he returned from his battle with Herb victorious. He was like a coiled snake now who at any moment could lash out with devastating results. Caution in handling him was necessary in order to avoid potentially deadly consequences. Ranma was a 'blooded' warrior and thus was not to be provoke unwisely.  
  
"What great grandmother think about?" Shampoo asked as she brought a stack of bowls over to the sink. Right now the ramen shop was not busy. They only had two customers at the moment, but soon that would change as the evening shift working got off the job and would be in search of dinner.  
  
"I think something has changed with son-in-law and Akane's relationship, but I cannot put my finger on what it might be. I suspect what it is, but I need more proof before I decide what to do next about it." she told her.  
  
"Airen break up with pervert girl?" Shampoo cheered with glee questioningly.  
  
"Actually, I think his obligation to the Tendo clan may have shifted a bit if what I saw any indication." Cologne replied.  
  
"Ranma engaged to Mercenary? That happen before but was only for short time. Airen will no put up with her." said Shampoo as she began washing.  
  
"No her, the other sister. The older one, Kasumi." the old woman told her.  
  
"Aiya!" Shampoo cried dropping the dish she had been holding. The large ramen bowl shattered.  
  
Cologne nodded. "My sentiments exactly."  
  
"Nice girl Kasumi is Shampoo friend," the young Amazon said as she bent down to pick up the pieces of the bowl she dropped. "What we do great grandmother? Shampoo not want to hurt friend."  
  
"Attacking Ms. Tendo physically is out of the question especially if what you have told me about Josendo is true." said Cologne. Shampoo looked at her with a straight face and nodded. The ancient matriarch closed her eyes and sighed.  
  
"We will need to use other methods. Son-in-law will be on guard against us if he is truly engaged to Kasumi." she said and began to think for a moment. "Shampoo, I will need to think about this for a while, we tread on dangerous ground. Not even the entire tribe would have survived a battle with the Phoenix Lord at full power."  
  
"That first time Shampoo really fear man was when she see airen kill Phoenix king." Shampoo whispered a bit shamefaced.  
  
"First Herb, then Saffron. Son-in-law has proven himself to be a quite formidable . Until I can determine what is to be done I will need you to gather as much information as you can, Shampoo." the ancient woman said to her. Shampoo nodded before turning back to the sink. -----  
  
"What are you thinking about?"  
  
Ranma looked up at Kasumi's always smiling face. He did not realized he looked as if he was out of it or not. She always seemed to have the ability to sense when someone was upset or thinking about something that was bothering them. Right now he was thinking about his best friend. Something about his meeting with Ukyo did not feel right.  
  
"I was thinking about Ucchan. I can't shake this feeling that something's off for some reason." he told her.  
  
"Like how?" she asked.  
  
He thought before answering. "At first she seemed really upset, but then its like she suddenly changed her mind. I didn't think it would be hard to get to her to let me go, but I expected her to put up more of a fight too because of what she went through cause of my baka father."  
  
"Perhaps you underestimated how much value she places her friendship with you." she offered with a smile.  
  
"Maybe, but I got this feeling there was something more to it. Its nothing bad, but its like she let me go too easy ya know." he said with a dismissive wave. He laughed. "Or maybe it was because I told her you were pregnant and I was the father. That could be it."  
  
"Maybe that is it." said Kasumi.  
  
"Yeah, I guess that might be it." he nodded. -----  
  
Kuonji Ukyo did not go home straight away. She had to think for a while alone before returning to the shop. It was already an hour after school let out and she knew she'd better get back before the dinner rush hit. As she walked in she noticed a few customers were already sitting around the grill. A beautiful young girl in a flowing kimono captivated her audience as she prepared okonomiyaki with the same flourish that she used to make the fried confection. Ukyo wanted until all the orders were filled before calling Konatsu into the back room.  
  
"Ukyo-sama, you wanted to talk to me?" asked the girl.  
  
"I wanna talk to you as yourself Konatsu." she said. In a puff of smoke and a flash of cloth the geisha girl was replaced by a very boshimen young man dressed in the ninja dogi of the Kounichii, the infamous clan of female ninja. Konatsu was a boy who had been forced to live as a girl all of his life by his step sisters. A chance encounter with Ranma made it possible for the gender confused young ninja to experience a new life where he could be himself.  
  
"How is this, Ukyo-sama?" he asked in the same soft voice his female persona used.  
  
"Remember I told you I needed some time to think about what you asked me three months ago, sugar?" Ukyo asked him looking very nervous.  
  
Konatsu also began to fidget a little and look nervous. "Of course, Ukyo-sama. I would never forget about something like that."  
  
Ukyo swallowed and took a deep breath. "I'm ready to give my answer." Konatsu stopped breathing and watched her intently waiting for her to speak. "My answer is, yes."  
  
The okonomiyaki chef did not even see the ninja move, but she was instantly in his arms. She laid her head on his chest which was surprising solid with finely tuned muscles. She reached around his feminine thin waist, which was also solid with thin but powerful muscles, and hugged him tight.  
  
"Ukyo-sama." the male Kounichii whispered.  
  
"Me and Ranma, it was just a dream. That was all, just a little girl's dream." said Ukyo.  
  
"Did something happen today?" he asked her smoothing her hair with his hand.  
  
Ukyo tightened her hug a little and snuggled up against the young ninja a bit more. "I lost a iinazuke, but gained a best friend." she said.  
  
"I promise to be a good husband to you, as good as Ranma-sama would have been." said Konatsu.  
  
Ukyo looked up at him with a smile and said, "I know you will, sugar, I know you will." For the first time ever their lips came together. It was awkward at first, but soon the two were deep into it and holding one another as close as they could. The cross dressing ninja had been Ukyo's lifeline in the months after Ranma disappeared. She had fallen into depression and feared that he was gone forever. Konatsu had been there for her everyday to help her out of her pit of despair. Two months before the pigtailed boy returned, Konatsu had proposed to her. Ukyo had been so taken aback by his offer that she was not sure what to say or do. She asked him for time to make up her mind. When Ranma returned the male Kounichii feared his chances with her were over. Little did he know that things had happened to change Ranma's life in such a way that Ukyo had to let him go. Ukyo did not regret accepting Konatsu's offer of marriage. He was the nicest, sweetest young man second only to Ranma she knew. He had quickly mastered the art of okonomiyaki making after a few false starts too. It was going to be a very good relationship. Another new direction had been taken. ---------- To be continued... 


	5. Chapter 5

DISCLAIMER: Ranma ½ is the registered trademark of Viz Communications, Kitty Films, and Rumiko Takahashi.

Inspired by Adrian D. Moten's "Kasumi 1/2"

**A N E W D I R E C T I O N T A K E N**

by Michael "TheZorch" Haney

**NOTES**

Ok, life got in the way yet again. I've had to move and I didn't have an internet connection for a while. In the meantime, I used what little free time I had to do more writing. This is but one of the fics I've updated in that time.

I was really shocked at how much positive response this fic has gotten. I've gotten my fair share of bad responses, but I did not realize how many people loved RanmaKasumi fics. I'm Pro-RanmaAkane, yet that doesn't mean I won't try out other possibilities to see how they pan out. I myself love RanmaKasumi fics which is the reason why I wrote this one. Again, I'm sorry for the delay in getting this updated. I've made a few important decisions concerning this fic that will make it a crossover of sorts.

Enjoy!

**CHAPTER 4**

When he woke the next morning the guest room that Ranma had shared with his father for over two years felt alien to him. Perhaps it was because his father was not around. The panda had run off after the big blowout between him and his mother and nobody has seen him since. That in itself was not a bad thing, but now he had nobody to spar with in the mornings. His father usually got him up at the crack of dawn for their regular workout. Feh! A workout? It was more like a major brawl between them every morning, neither of them really held back that much. Well, Ranma did to a point, after he began to recognize that he was getting much better than his father he started holding back some of that extra power. It was especailly necessary after the battles with Herb and Saffron. Ranma gained considerable power in those battles, power that his father would not have been able to stand up against for long. Which of course reminded Ranma of just how much of a coward his father really was. He folded like wet rice paper under the old freak's glare, and when it came to his mom the man quickly turned into jello.

"He's probably afraid of mom's katana." he muttered under his breath as he got up and began rolling up his futon mat.

The scent of breakfast wafted up to his nostils as he made his way downstairs. Sure enough he found Kasumi hard at work in the kitchen. She flitted from one task to another with the grace that came from years of doing this every day since her mother died. It made Ranma both sad and angry to think that Kasumi had to deal with making the meals for the family all by herself since that terrible day. Her father rarely lifted a finger to do anything in the house other than order people around or to get his daughters engaged. He acted like he was the head of the house. In truth, Ranma felt it was the girls who were the real heads of this family. Nabiki and Kasumi. Nabiki kept the family from being thrown out on the streets and brought in enough money to pay the bills and feed them all. Kasumi kept up the house and cook breakfast, lunch, and dinner every day. Akane really did not contribute anything though she did help out around the house from time to time by sweeping up the dojo and the yard and doing laundry from time to time. It also reminded him of the fact that he was also a freeloader in the Tendo home. This made Ranma feel bad about the situation. He had to make some money to help the Tendos out. It was the least he could do for them after everything that has been happening lately with the changing of the engagement to him and Kasumi and the distruptions its caused.

"Kasumi, could you use some help in here?" he asked her.

"Well, I am almost finished here. You could help me set the table." she replied in that voice he always thought was so gentle and sweet.

"Sure. Uh, where's mom? She's usually in here helping ya." he asked her as he went to the cubboard to fetch the serving bowls.

Kasumi turned towards her piping hot pot of Miso soup and said, "Oh my, I'd almost forgotten. She left early this morning on a erand and said she would not be back until about lunch time." She did not see Ranma's rather shocked reaction to this as she turned, dipped a small amount of the soup into a sipping cup, and checked the taste of her recipe. It was one of her mother's favorite Miso soup recipes she was making today. She rare ever had and chance to make it because they usually did not have enough money to do any really serious grocery shopping. That has changed recently though nobody seems to have noticed, and only she and Nabiki now the truth about where the money came from.

"That's weird, what's mom got to do that's so early in the morning?" Ranma said wondering to himself out loud.

Kasumi just shrugged, "I do not know, she didn't say what it was."

The streets of greater Tokyo were for anyone who did not live there a amazing sight. It was like walking through what was envisioned as a true twenty-first century city with all of its gleaming towers and the myriad giant LCD advertising displays. Most of the residents ignored the high tech wonders around them and focus on where they were going. After all, most of this ultra-tech wonder was put there to draw tourists in from other parts of the country and from other overseas. Nodoka was no exception to this, she did not bat an eye at the giant video display showing scenes from the latest anime movie coming out. A few girls in school uniform paid some attention to it, making comments that they'd like to go see it, but that was about it.

It was certainly unusual for her to be out as early as she had, but it was necessary. She wanted to make sure she got to the city clerk office ahead of the lines to file the appropriate papers. Her lawyer was working on the divorce papers and they would be finalized soon. As of right now though, there was no longer a Genma on the Saotome clan lists. It was getting late in the day, she knew she should be getting back to Tendo-ke soon but Nodoka decided to stop at a street side coffee shop first. After ordering a raspberry mocha she found an empty table and took in the scenery. The shop was right next to the one of the large canals that ran throughout Tokyo. A few small sail boats were running up the canal, a larger cargo ship was further down the canal.

She sipped her coffee then stopped when she heard a voice. For the live of her Nodoka could have sworn it was Kasumi. She turned back towards the shop and her mouth fell open at what she saw. At the next table sat a couple, well what looked like a couple from the way they reacted to one another. The young man was perhaps no older than her son was if only just slightly younger. He wore a pair of glasses and was much skinnier than Ranma, and his hair was a light brown. The woman sitting next to him was much taller than he was. She was the most beautiful woman that Nodoka had ever seen in her entire life, her hair was a fiery red like her son's female form, all done up in a pony tail, she wore a small pair of glasses behind which could be seen two beautiful lavender eyes.

When the woman spoke Nodoka was shocked at how much she sounded just like her future daughter in law. "This is my first time in Tokyo." she said.

"Its ok, I used to live here, remember." the young man replied. He did not sound anything like Ranma, but to Nodoka it had a strangely familiar tone to it.

"Kei, what should we go see first? I'd like to visit Tokyo Tower." the woman asked. Nodoka saw their hands come together and clasp affectionately.

Yes, they are a couple, he is a bit young, but then if he treats her right I guess it ok., thought Nodoka. They did remind her of Ranma and Kasumi and how well they got along together. She could just imagine these two being them someday sight-seeing in Tokyo or somewhere else in Japan. Wait, she thought suddenly, she said his name is Kei? It couldn't be, he must be at least eighteen now at least, but he does look like him., she thought.

"Excuse me, you wouldn't happen to be of the Kusanagi clan would you?" she asked the young man after gathering the courage to walk over to their table.

"Uh, hai, I am. Do I know you?" Kei asked looking up at the woman who spoke to him. She was an attractive older woman, perhaps in the mid or late thirties. She was about to speak when suddenly a memory from his past, a past he had purposely suppressed due to what had happened to him before going to Kansai resurfaced.

"A-Auntie Nodoka?" he spoke questioningly, a small hint of hope in his eyes.

The older woman's face lit up with a bright smile. "Oh, Kei-chan, it is you!" Before long she was around the table and gathered the young boy in her arms lovingly. After a few seconds she let him go and admired him at arms length.

"You've grown up to be so handsome." she told him.

"Oh uh," Kei said turning with a gesture towards the woman who had been sitting at his side. "Auntie, this is my wife, Mizuho." Nodoka's eyebrow shot up at that. For a just a second he judged the wisdom of telling his aunt the truth about Mizuho, well as much of the truth as he could afford to tell her. The part about her being part alien, that was definitely out. She did not know about his strange illness that took him away from Tokyo for so long.

The redhead stood up and bowed towards her. "It is an honor to meet a member of anata's family." she said. She even acts like Kasumi, perhaps there is hope for this world after all., thought Nodoka. She guessed the woman was in her early twenties, much older than Kei but still within a respectable limit. The legal marrying age in Japan was sixteen, and the legal age of sexual consent was fourteen. Nodoka believed it was done that way to keep the hentai on the Japanese parliament happy. It was no secret that many of them had young teenaged mistresses. The new law just kept it from becoming a scandal and national embarrassment.

"It is an honor to meet such a polite young woman as yourself." Nodoka replied return the bow.

"You must be quite the lady's man to land such a beautiful girl, Kei." Nodoka said making the young man's cheeks flush. Of course, that had been the point, and she always thought it looked cute when he blushed. He still did after all these years. Of course, she also noticed the blush on Mizuho's face as well. He has a good wife there, I have nothing to worry about here., she told herself.

"You still live here in Tokyo?" Kei asked her.

Nodoka shook her head. "No, I moved to Nerima several years ago. How is your mother doing these days, and how is your sister?" she asked him in reply.

Kei's face clouded over with an expression she could not read at first when he replied, "I haven't seen my mother in four years."

"Nani?" she gaped at him.

Kei looked over at Mizuho who nodded. "Auntie, a few things have happened in the past few years." he told her. Nodoka suddenly had a feeling she should be sitting for this, so she quickly moved to the seat opposite them.

"Ai, Ai committed...suicide." he said with a little difficulty.

"Oh, oh no!" Nodoka gasped, tears began running down her face.

"We were at school, she'd been acting really strange for a couple of days. We went to the roof to talk, and she...she..." he tried to explain when he felt the familiar signs of his illness taking effect. Kei tried as hard as he could to resist the darkness that wanted to swallow him up, but it was a battle he was unable to win. He suddenly slumped over and would have fallen to the ground if Mizuho hadn't caught him.

"Kei!" she cried out in alarm.

Nodoka was around the table in a second and felt his forehead. "He fainted, no wait, he's not breathing. We have to call a doctor!"

"It's alright, he'll be fine, he'll come out of it in a few minutes." Mizuho told her in a reassuring tone.

Nodoka looked at her in alarm. "He's done this before?"

The redhead nodded. "Hai. These attacks usually only fast a few minutes."

"Oh, Kei-chan. When did these attacks start happening?" Nodoka asked her.

"When he was fifteen, when...when he witness his sister's death. He want into turper for three years, it is why he appears so young for his age." Mizuho explained to her in a gentle voice that seemed to relax the older woman.

Nodoka closed her eyes squeezing out some tears. "I should have been there for him, for her too."

"There was no way for you to have known." Mizuho told her soothingly, trying to placate the sobbing woman.

"Yes there is, I moved to Nerima because my sister and I refused to talk to one another. She tried to warn me the man I was marrying was no good, I should have listen to her back then." Nodoka replied, her face in her hands. She looked up when she felt a gentle touch on her shoulder.

"Don't cry auntie." Kei said in a weak voice as he began to sit up on his own.

"See, his attacks don't often last very long. To tell the truth this is the first time he's had one in so many months." Mizuho said with a warm smile.

Nodoka embraced the young man and sobbed, "Oh sweetie, I'm so sorry, I didn't know, I didn't know."

"Shhhhh. It's ok auntie, its ok." he said soothingly, patting her softly on the back.

Nodoka sat up and looked at the two of them. "The two of you must come back with me to Nerima to house where I'm staying. Do you live close by?" she asked them.

"We live in Kansai. Its a school break for us so Mizuho and I decided to come and visit Tokyo." Kei told her. Kei pointed down the street. "We have a room at the hotel down the street."

"I insist you come over to Tendo-ke, I'm staying there with my son. Its the home of his iinazuke." Nodoka told them.

"Iinazuke. You're son's engaged, we wouldn't want to impose." Mizuho said politely.

"Nonsense, you're family and I know Kasumi would love having guests over for dinner." Nodoka replied, the smile on her face was beaming so brightly it would have been blinding had that been possible.

A few hours later the three of them arrived at the gates to Tendo-ke. Kei and Mizuho were a little impressed at the size of the home. It was also a surprise to see the dojo attached to the house, of course they had seen the sign directing challengers to the dojo to the rear entrance. Kei knew very little about his Aunt Nodoka's side of the family, he remembered her from when he was very little, but she mysteriously stopped coming over to his parent's house. He never understood why until now. As they walked home Nodoka explained why she went away. Apparently his mother disapproved of the roguish martial artist her sister was dating and wanted to marry. They had a huge argument which eventually drove them to not speak to one another anymore. When she married, Nodoka moved with her husband to Nerima. It turned out, years later, that his mother had been right about this fellow named Genma. Even Mizuho secretly wanted to get her hands on the man after hearing just a few of the thing he'd done to Kei's young cousin Ranma. There were quite a few interesting things she could have Marie do to him, or she could just set her little sister loose on him. Yes, that would be sufficient torture.

Before they could cross the threshold someone came around the corner of the wall. She looked like she had been through the nine levels of hell and then some. That "she" was a red head who was wearing a red silk Chinese tunic that was barely hanging onto her body by threads and the rest she had to hold into place with her hands to preserve what little was left of her modesty. She was also soaking wet which was evident by the squishing sound her slippers made when she walked.

"Oh no, what happened?" Nodoka asked in alarm.

"We might have to delay the wedding by a few days." was all the red head said in reply.

"Why? What is it?" Nodoka asked. The red head noticed the two people with the older woman and gave them a curious look.

"Taro's back in town, if I hadn't gone out to fight him the house woulda been demolished." the red head told her.

Nodoka immediately started scratching her chin in thought. She had heard about but never met this Pantyhose Taro person. What she did know about him from Akane and Ranma both was enough to make her concerned. He had a hatred for the old perverted master, a hatred that left little else for him to consider such as innocent bystanders who got in the line of fire.

"Lets talk about this inside, we have special guests today." Nodoka told her with a smile she hoped would cheer up her "female" son. Ranma looked at the two with her again and examined them a bit more closely. She first looked at the young boy, who appeared to be about her age, but his aura was off for some reason. It was almost as if he was sick or something. Ranma knew enough about reading auras to know when somebody was ill, or had a illness of some kind. The woman next to him was one of the most startlingly beautiful women she had ever seen in her life next to Kasumi. She was a red head like herself, which made Ranma wonder if her cursed form would look that good in later years. She was much older than the boy, maybe in her early twenties she guessed from her looks. There was something really odd about this girl's aura, it was very unusual, not the kind of aura she would expect from a normal person. Ranma also did not fail to notice that her aura felt like, was very similar to, Kasumi's.

"Hi, you must be my cousin's iinazuke." the young boy said with a bow.

Kei looked up at his aunt when he heard her stifle a giggle. She had her hand over her mouth as she struggled to keep it in. "You were in a fight?" the older redhead asked Ranma.

"Yeah, if ya call getting bashed around by a eight foot tall honest to Kami-sama minotaur with wings and tentacles, I guess you could say it was a fight." the young redhead replied at which Mizuho's eyes went wide.

"Uh, I really think we should continue this inside where we can explain things more clearly, dear." Nodoka told Ranma after regaining most of her self-control.

About twenty minutes later Kei's head was spinning up at least he hadn't had an attack. Seeing a cute but badly beaten up redhead turn into a boy before his very eyes was almost as shocking as discovering the true nature of the woman who was now his wife. For Mizuho it was almost was shocking. Ranma explained about the curses and that Pantyhose Taro was another cursed person who had a very usual and dangerous Josenkyo curse. After the explanations were given Kasumi and Mizuho went into the kitchen to prepare dinner. Nodoka insisted that she did not have to help, but the older red head said she wanted to help and chat with Kasumi at the same time. For Ranma it was like watching two versions of Kasumi at the same time. Mizuho was so much like the girl he loved so much, a girl who was going to be the mother of his child in a few months and would be his wife at the end of the month. That was assuming nothing bad happened to delay that wedding like pissed off minotaurs or interfering Amazons.

Amazons, shit I almost forgot about them!, Ranma mentally kicked himself. He had broken an important golden rules; never let your enemies out of your mind or they might come up behind you and surprise you. They were bound to find out about the change at the Tendo home sooner or later. He hoped later, but that was wishful thinking. He did not have to worry about Nabiki spreading the news, she knew better and did not want anything happening to Kasumi. For all her faults Ranma had to respect Nabiki for her dedication to her family. Right now Shampoo Cologne were not a major concern. He had not seen them in several days, so it seemed alright for now. Thus, he focused on the here and now.

Ranma knew nothing about having a cousin, and neither did he know he had an aunt living here in Tokyo. His cousin Kei, he would discover as they talked, was actually older than he was by three years. Kei was nineteen, and he and Mizuho had been married for about a year. Strangest thing of all, she was his high school teacher. Ranma really could not blame him though, she was really cute. Cute, hell, she was gorgeous, just as gorgeous as Kasumi. The two of them should try out as models, he thought, or participate in a beauty contest. Ranma was sure the two of them would win hands down.

"So you're into martial arts, I tried Tai Kwan Do but that was years ago." said Kei.

"The Anything Goes school is all about adapting to any situation, so we assimilate techniques from all sorts of different schools into our form. I know dozens of different techniques from Kendo, Tai Kwan Do, Jeet Kwan Do, Chinese Wu Shu, Karate, Kung Fu, Judo, Xao Lin Kung Fu, and Ninjitsu. "Ranma replied. He smiled when Kei's eyes went wide with surprise.

"Wow, when did you find the time to study them all?" he asked.

"Me and my pop went on a ten year training trip. We went all over Asia and China learning at different dojos." said Ranma.

"Oh, that's right, Auntie Nodoka said you were away for a long time with your dad." Kei remembered.

Ranma took a sip of his tea and said, "He wasn't much of a pop, but he was all I had at the time. Some of his ideas about training were really stupid, but he knew the art pretty well."

"My friend Hyosuke is into karate, he's pretty good but he's not anywhere nearly as good as you probably are." Kei told him. He remembered seeing the older blond boy from school running through a kata once at his house. It just before everyone from the class go together to go watch Yamada-sensei do a test fight of his latest human powered airplane design.

Hearing a noise on the porch, Kei turned and nearly fell over. For a brief instant he thought Koishi had somehow found out where he was. He recovered quickly when he noticed this girl's eyes were a different color, but she did look a lot like Koishi did. She was really cute, her hairstyle was also similar to Koishi's too, but this girl's hair was bit more puffy and she was taller than her too. Akane diverted her eyes from Ranma who glanced at her for a moment before looking towards the koi pond. She noticed the light haired boy in glasses sitting with Ranma and she smiled.

"Oh, I didn't know we had guests. My name is Akane, Tendo Akane." she said in greeting, bowing slightly with just a tiny blush on her face. He was cute, she had to admit, not like...him, and he did not seem like the obsessive hentai type.

"Hi, I'm Kei, Kusanagi Kei." the boy replied.

"He's my nephew." Nodoka said from the kitchen doorway. A tall red read came out the kitchen when Nodoka went back inside and began wiping down the dinner table.

"Dinner will be ready in twenty minutes, is that alright Kei?" she asked.

"Sure, me and Ranma was just talking in here." he replied.

Mizuho smiled at him. "Alright, if you need anything I'll be in here with your aunt and Kasumi."

"Was that your sister?" Akane asked the younger looking boy. She seemed much too young to be his teenager's mother. She was really pretty though, and for some reason she reminded her of her big sister.

"Well, heh heh, actually she's kind of my wife," Kei replied in embarrassment. "Her name is Mizuho."

Akane look at him shock, "But you can't be no more than fifteen, sixteen, and she's in her twenties or so."

"Actually, I'm nineteen, I just look young cause I've been sick for a long time, and Mizuho is only twenty-two so there is only a three years difference between us." he told her.

Nabiki came in just in time to hear the exchange. She looked into the kitchen and found the woman who was probably this Mizuho they were talking about. She was indeed very pretty, Nabiki noticed almost immediately, and she did appear to be her twenties. "How did you two meet?" she asked taking a seat next to Akane.

"Well, that's a funny story." he replied. Kei hoped his remembered the story of half-truths he and Mizuho rehearsed for situations like this. Outside of school they were bound to run into strangers who would have questions. The fact that she is the daughter of an astronaut who went missing years ago and a beautiful alien woman was something that for now had to be kept a secret. That she was a high school teacher was something they did not have to keep secret though.

"Oh, I'm Nabiki, are you a friend of Ranma's?" she asked him.

"He's my cousin, he and his wife came home with mom." explained Ranma.

Nabiki rolled her eyes, "Oh that explains it, if you're related to Ranma I can see how you two must have....ouch!" She rubbed her side where Akane elbowed her.

"I met Mizuho a few years ago, she was a teacher for a different school. After we got married we moved to Kansai and she got a job teacher at the local high school, and I ended up being in her class." Kei told her, blushing a bit in embarrassment. He was basically telling them he was married to his high school teacher.

Nabiki looked at him wide eyed, "She's your sensei? And the school let you stay in the same class?" Talk about forbidden fruit., she said to herself.

Kei grinning and scratched the back of his head in Saotome fashion replied, "Heh, well, nobody but the director of the school knows me and Mizuho are married. We agreed to keep it secret so she could keep her job there."

"Geeze, your life if like right out of some romance manga or something isn't it." Akane commented with a giggle and a smile. It was the first time in days Ranma had seen Akane actually smile. He was happy for that, she was cute when she smiled, and she seemed to be getting along with his cousin pretty well.

Dinner soon came and every enjoyed themselves. Mizuho, it turned out, was just as great a cook as Kasumi. This lead Ranma to wonder if she and the older red head had been sister in a past life. Stranger things have happened in his own life. Mizuho's weird aura still bothered him some, why was it so different from everyone else's aura at the table. He knew why Kei's aura seemed off, it was due to his weird illness, but Mizuho's aura was so strange. It reminded him of how strange Kima's aura had been when he first began to develop the ability to read auras well. Ranma squashed that chain of thought fast. Thinking of Kima made him think of Akane, since Kima had a Josenkyo curse that made her turn into the likeness of Akane. It was a spring the Phoenix tribe made using Akane herself to fool him.

Dinner finally ended, Ranma helped Kasumi clear the table while Mizuho, Kei and Nodoka went out onto the back porch. Akane had retreated to her room to do homework. Nabiki went to her room and rummaged through her collection of manga to find that one story she read that very similar to Kei and Mizuho's. Kasumi, being who she was, could feel there was something wrong with Ranma.

"What's bothering you Ranma?" she asked him as they washed dishes together. She remarked at how he somehow managed to keep from being changed by the cold water used to rinse the washed dishes. Usually he was a she before long.

"Its probably nothing." he lied. Ranma could not tell a lie to save his life, and Kasumi sensed he was not being truthful with her.

"You can tell me." she said moving closer to him so that their bodies were touching. She felt a shiver run up and down his body before he moved in closer too.

"Its Mizuho, she's got this really weird aura I can't figure out. It reminds me of Kima aura, or Saffron's, but she ain't from Phoenix mountain or nothing." he told her.

"Kima?" Kasumi said the name questioningly.

Ranma slapped his forehead, accidentally splashing himself with cold water, when he remembered that the Tendos were not told everything that happened at Josendo. "She was one of Saffron's lieutenants, they made a Josenkyo Spring of Drowned Akane after they kidnapped her and Kima volunteer to get cursed in it so she could use Akane's likeness and voice to keep me from stopping what they were doing with the taps that fed water to Josenkyo." the now female Ranma explained.

"Oh my." Kasumi gasped.

"That made me remember what happened there, how I felt when I thought Akane was gone." Ranma added.

Kasumi sighed. Any other woman would be infuriated at a man who was torn emotionally between two women he loved with all his heart. She knew that Ranma still loved Akane as much he loved her. It hurt to see him like this, but he had already made his decision to do the right thing and marry her because of the baby she now carried within her.

"And I will never forget nor will I ever be able to properly thank you for saving my little sister that day." she said and kissed the short red head on the cheek. Kasumi guessed she was not told everything about what happened at Josendo, but what little she was told was frightening enough. It just proved what kind of man Ranma really was no matter what he looked like at the moment.

To prove this the two of them kissed passionately, despite the fact that Ranma was now a busty five foot one redhead. "Lets finish up so we can go out and be with your cousin before they have to leave." said Kasumi and the two of them finished up their work.

It was late, Ranma could tell that Kasumi was asleep from how regular her breathing was as she laid in his arms. At least it was warm out tonight so he could stay here with her on the roof looking up at the stars. They were above the street lights here so he was able to see a few more stars than they should have been able to otherwise. Ranma loved looking up at the stars, it always had a calming effect on him, but he never really understood why. There were many times when he asked himself the question of whether there were other people up there far away on other worlds like this one.

His cousin Kei was nice, he was not into the art like he was but that was alright. Mizuho was a very kind and pleasant young woman. She reminded him so much of Kasumi it was not funny. Her weird aura still bugged him some, but since he did not get a danger sense from her Ranma decided to just drop it for now. It was not something he had to be concerned about right now. The two would be in the area for a week so they would both be at the wedding on Friday. It seemed like it was taking Friday forever to come. In his revere Ranma almost broke one of the cardinal rules of the Anything Goes school. At the edge of his perception he sensed movement near Tendo-ke. Instantly he tensed up and reached out with his ki senses trying to lock down all the auras in the area. He felt Kasumi's right next to him, Akane's troubled aura below him in her bedroom, Nabiki's further off in the house in her room, his mother's and Mr. Tendo's. He could not feel his father's aura, only the traces of it left behind it the guest room because of how long they had shared the room together. Then, he felt it, another aura, and aura he knew all too well.

Ranma slowly slipped his arm out from under Kasumi and sat up. "Quit hiding old ghoul I know you're here." he said.

Cologne popped up beside him in an instant with a smirk on her wrinkled old face. "I'm impressed, and here I was suppressing my ki as well. You are something else son-in-law."

"What'cha want beside the usual?" he asked her.

Cologne looked at Kasumi. She had to admit she and Ranma did look good together, and she was perhaps a better choice for him, if he had not been obligated to Amazon law that is. She was about to speak when her ki senses picked up something about Kasumi that was a little off. Focusing her mind she looked at her aura and gasped at what she saw.

"She's with child!" Cologne gasped in surprise.

Ranma smiled and he ran his fingers through Kasumi's long hair. "I knew you'd notice if you took the time to look at her aura."

Cologne narrowed her eyes at him. "She isn't far along, there is only one person who could possibly be the father." The ancient matriarch look at him in total disbelief. Was this the Ranma she knew, the Ranma who was terrified of intimate contact with girls. No he was not as bad as that boy Ryoga when it came to girls, but Ranma had almost seemed destined to remain a virgin the rest of his life unless something was done. Apparently something had been done. A quickly look Ranma's own aura told her what she needed to know. Loosing one's virginity leaves a certain pattern in their aura, she could see it in both Ranma and Kasumi.

"Now do you finally understand that I can't marry Shampoo. It ain't like I'm not attracted to her, hell, Shampoo is really cute, but I don't love her." Ranma admitted to her. The way he spoke to her took Cologne back a bit, he never actually spoke to her in such a sincere way before. Usually it was always with malice or sarcasm in his voice. That was also because whenever they did talk together it was usually because of some scheme she came up with to get him and Shampoo together.

"You don't have to worry about Shampoo or me harming Kasumi. Our laws forbid harming a woman, even an outsider woman, who is with child." Cologne told him in her most sincere tone. "To harm her would harm the child, and children are gifts from the Kami that are to be cherished and protected at all cost." She noticed the slight change in his posture. He had been tensing up for action, she realized.

Ranma did not let out a sigh of relief. He was hoping that was the way the Joketsuzoku thought, and it turned out he was right. "I'm gonna marry her, its the right thing to do." he said.

"So, you are no longer engaged to Akane." said Cologne.

Ranma shook his head. "I love her, I think I'll always love her a little in my heart, but I also love Kasumi. I wanna marry her, take care of her and the baby like they deserve."

Cologne sighed, this was definitely not what she wanted to hear. Things were indeed now very complicated, and their own laws and beliefs would not allow her or Shampoo to do anything to Kasumi. It was not like even she could bring herself to bring harm to such a kind and pure soul as Tendo Kasumi. A deeper study of the ancient laws would be needed.

"So this is your decision then, Ranma?" she asked him.

Ranma did not react to her calling him by his name rather than his so-called status among her tribe. "Yes, it is."

"Frankly, I am surprised that the girl who finally bedded you was her and not that Okonomiyaki chef or my Shampoo or that somewhat disturbed girl in the green leotard." Cologne commented.

The pig tailed boy shook his head. "It was just the two of us on that island, we didn't know if anyone would find us or anything. She was hurt really bad after the crash. A family friend she was close with died in it too."

"Love is often born out of tragedy." Cologne said, speaking from her centuries of wisdom. Ranma never ever openly professed loved for anyone. For him to come out and say he loved Kasumi and still loved Akane spoke volumes. He was no longer a young man still confused about his feelings, he was a young man who knew what he wanted and was no longer confused or afraid to say how he felt towards someone. It meant that Ranma was committed to seeing this through. A Ranma who was committed to something was nearly unstoppable by any force known on earth. Not even a half-human, half-phoenix god could stop a Ranma committed to saving someone he cared for.

If it proved impossible to bring Ranma into the tribe by way of marriage to Shampoo, Cologne still had to consider the order from the elder counsel. Under no circumstances was Ranma to become an enemy of the tribe because of her or Shampoo's actions. Though she was the matriarch and leader of the tribe, she still had to abide by the decisions made by its main governing body. In other words, she did not hold absolute power over the Joketsuzoku. She could be held accountable for her actions and those of her great grand daughter.

"In light of this, I can see that it will be nearly impossible to get you to marry my Shampoo." she said.

"About time you realized that." Ranma replied.

"So I will see about proposing an alternative. You are too good a catch to just let you go so easily." she told him. Ranma looked at her with a accusing expression.

"Don't worry, Ranma, it will not interfere with your impending nuptials with Kasumi in any way." she reassured him.

His expression turn to one of wary curiosity. "If you're thinking about me marrying both of them, don't. I like Shampoo, but not enough to do that."

Cologne laughed, "That might have worked, but its been centuries since anyone in our tribe has been married to more than one woman. No, this idea is a bit different."

"So what wondrous idea is this that satisfies your laws but gets me off the hook with having to marry Shampoo?" he asked her, but was just a little afraid of what that thing might be.

"Well, it has to do with your curse." she replied. "Despite the fact that you were born a male, your female side is still under out law considered a true female because it is known that cursed males can have children and have done so in the past in their cursed forms."

"I ain't having no baby!" he roared at her. Kasumi stirred just a bit and Ranma suddenly felt guilty for yelling.

"I'm making a point, I wasn't asking you to have a child for us. I'm saying that your female half has the status of a true female by our laws." Cologne explained to him.

"Which is why I had to revoke the Kiss of Death on you or enforcers from the tribe would have come to do what Shampoo could not long ago." she explained further.

"So by your laws I got status as a real girl in my cursed form cause its got all the right stuff in the right places to have kids?" he asked her, wincing as it said it.

"Exactly." Cologne nodded. "Which is also why I had to invoke immunity for your cursed form from our laws for your cursed form."

"Huh?" he looked at questioningly.

"When you defeated Ling Ling and Lung Lung in your cursed form by our laws they should have tried to kill you, but you were protected by the immunity I placed on you. The entire tribe knows of it." she told him.

He was taken aback by this. "I...I didn't know."

"You were never meant to know until you were brought into the tribe." she said.

"Quit beating around the frick'in and just get to it." Ranma groused in impatience.

"Since you're female form has status as a true woman by our laws, the alternative to marrying Shampoo would be for me to adopt you as my daughter and as my son thus giving you full Joketsuzoku status in both forms. Kasumi would be Joketsuzoku as well when you marry her, so she will be safe from our laws concerning outside males." she said, deciding it was best to just come out and tell him.

Ranma could not say anything. All these past two years the old woman had been trying just about everything under the sun to get him to marry Shampoo. They tried hypnotic mushrooms, magical red thread, reversal gems, love pills, and they even tried bribing him with those crappy temporary Josenkyo curse powders and waterproof soap. Now, here she was, wanting to adopt him. Well, she wanted to adopt both aspects of his nature, his male and female forms. The threat of the Amazons to his marriage with Kasumi could be ended, but that part of Ranma that did not trust the Amazons suddenly popped up.

"This ain't another scheme to trick me into marriage with Shampoo is it?" he asked her.

Cologne shook her head. "No Ranma it isn't. In fact, I think I should be truthful with you about something."

"I knew you were holding back something." he growled at her.

"It isn't what you think, Ranma." she said reassuringly. "You do not fully understand the impact your battle with Saffron made on our region of China, do you?" Ranma shook his head. To him the fight with Saffron had been just another big fight, albeit a very hot one. It was no different than the fight with Prince Herb or Pantyhose Taro. It had not been a normal battle, it was the hardest fight he had ever fought in his life, but he did not even consider that it might have had lasting effects in China.

"You've made quite an impression, not just among the Phoenix tribe who literally fly off in terror at the mention of you very name, but also among my sister Joketsuzoku." She explained to him.

She looked him in the eye and said in her most sincere and truthful voice, "The elder counsel has declared that no action is to ever be taken that might make you an enemy of the Joketsuzoku, ever, upon penalty of death."

His response was to look at her with genuine shock on his face. "I don't hate you Ranma, to tell the truth I like you very much. Locking horns with you these past two years has been the most fun I've had in three centuries."

"Believe it or not, I actually care about you." the old woman admitted, a faint blush showing on her face. "The past two years has changed me in a way. Before I got to know you as well as I do now I just thought of you in the same way I think of Mousse, but you're different. You've had a huge effect on me and Shampoo. Because of you we've grown as people."

"I..." Ranma tried to speak. He swallowed hard and tried again. "I never really hated you or Shampoo either. I mean, you've been there when I really needed help like when the old freak stole my strength or when Herb locked me in my cursed form. I don't hate Shampoo, I really like her when she's not acting all lovy-dovy. If I didn't like her I wouldn't have helped her against those twins with the poisonous plants when they came gunning for her, or when that creepy ghost ca..ca..ca..feline tried to marry her. "

"Those were indeed messy situations." said Cologne.

"Let me think about it, but I'll probably say yes. I wanna talk to Kasumi about it first." he told her.

She nodded. "Take all the time you want."

"There is one thing." he said. "Kasumi and I are getting married at the end of the week."

Cologne did an eyebrow Spock maneuver. "Why so soon?"

"Two things, because Mr. Tendo asked me to, and also because of the stigma unwed mothers suffer from here in Japan." he told her.

Cologne nodded her head in understanding. Sometimes these Japanese could be such a backwards people., she thought. "I see, you do care very much for her."

"I love her." he replied, his hand gently caressing Kasumi's cheek as she slept.

"Yes, I can see that very clearly now." Cologne said. For a brief moment she imagined this very scene with Shampoo in Kasumi's place, but it faded away quickly. It was going to be hard not thinking of Ranma as her future son-in-law, but the elder counsel had been adamant. The only real problem with all of this was going to be Shampoo herself. Cologne was convinced that her feelings for Ranma were very real. She was not going to lay down and let this happen quietly. No, if she knew her great grand daughter, and Cologne raised her since she was very little she knew that Shampoo would not let it end so smoothly.

"I fear that Shampoo will not be so willing to let things go, however." she told him.

Ranma gave a sigh. "I know."

"I'm convinced her love for you is real and not just her acting out to fulfill her duties to the tribe." Cologne told him sincerely. For now on there were to be no more secrets between them.

"I know, when she was under the control of the Phoenix tribe because of those egg things they used on her she was still in love with me though she was trying to kill me, and there was the reversal gem." Ranma replied.

"I can try to keep her in line, but it will not be easy." said Cologne.

"You know Mousse isn't a bad guy, yeah he's got bad eyesight but ya gotta admit he's made up for it really well with his specialized martial arts technique." Ranma told her. "I mean, I rank Mousse up there with Ryoga when it comes to a fight."

"If you set his obsessive behavior concerning Shampoo aside he is a good fighter, what exactly are you suggesting?" Cologne asked him in a conspiratorial tone.

Ranma just shrugged. "I don't know, I'm nuts for suggesting it cause I've tried getting them together in the past. I mean, I did manage to get her to go out with him once about a year ago but nothing came out of it."

"Let me think about it. Mousse if already a member of the Joketsuzoku from birth, but it will be complicated because Shampoo has already rejected him several times before." said Cologne.

"It was just a thought." said Ranma shrugging his shoulders.

He felt a tiny hand on his arm and he looked down seeing Cologne's winkled face looking up at him with a caring smile. "I know you want everyone to walk away from this happy, you want resolutions that will satisfy everyone and leave no one with a broken heart, but life doesn't often work that way."

He nodded, a vision of the cute tomboy with tears streaking down her face appearing to him. "I know."

Sasuke heard the first crash only a few moments ago. Now he was zipping about the house as fast as his ninja conditioning would allow trying to keep any more rare or priceless Kuno clan valuables from being shattered. All the while he tried to calm and placate an enraged teenage girl wearing a green leotard who was on a one woman mission to demolish the entire estate. His male charge, Tatawaki, had been taken out of the struggle long ago by a well placed blow from an electrified club to the head. That left him as the only one who could calm the savage Kodachi beast. This job was starting to get very hazardous for his health.

"Mistress Kodachi, please, this is a priceless vase from the Ming Dynasty." he said as he caught another heirloom flying through the air courtesy of Kodachi Air.

"I cannot, I will not allow this travesty to continue! First its that red headed tart, then its that illiterate Chinese bimbo and that cross-dressing chef, and now its...its..." Kodachi raged as her ribbon wreaked destruction all around her.

"Mistress please!" Sasuke cried as a wall was reduced to its component parts.

They reached her room finally and she stopped and just stood there in the middle of the destruction as silent as a pillar of stone. Sasuke let out a sigh of relief then jumped to the ceiling when the delusional gymnast let out a scream of savage rage. Her ribbon flashed in her hand moving with deadly accuracy. Before her was a poster sized photograph, within seconds the poster was reduced to shredded ribbons.

"I shall now let this happen! By my honor as a daughter of noble Kuno clan I shall not live to see this travesty of justice take place!" she cried before throwing herself onto her bed wracked with sobs.

Sasuke sighed, "At last, when she starts crying the violent outbursts stop. Thank Kami-sama for predictability." He reached into his robes for the original photo that had been used to make that now obliterated poster. He looked at it and his heart clenched up in his chest. He should never have shown it to Master Kuno or his sister would not have seen it. It was a photograph of Ranma sitting on the Tendo roof sharing a kiss with none other than the eldest of the three Tendo sisters. It had been taken with a telephoto lens. It had to be taken that way or Ranma would have detected him. Sasuke had learned along ago that Ranma was the able to sense ki, and thus know when certain people were near. It was a martial artist's sixth sense. It was a ability sadly neither of his charges ever developed.

"I'll kill her! I'll kill her with own two hands!" Kodachi screamed in race before falling back down in sobs.

"What have I done." Sasuke sighed, a tear streaking down his face. "Oh dear sweet, kind Kasumi, the only person to ever treat me like a normal human being. What have I done." I have to go warn Ranma, I have never seen the mistress this angry before., he told himself and quickly bounded off into the night towards Tendo-ke.

To be continued...

Author's Notes: For anyone wanting to know where Kei and Mizuho come from, they are from the Anime "Onegai Teacher" (Please Teacher). Kei has a disorder that causes him to fall into a deep trance-like state when he becomes emotionally stressed. Its triggered when a girl jumps to her death on the roof his old school in Tokyo. You see this in a flashback in episode 12 of the 13 episode series (14 if you count the one OAV episode). It is never "said' that she was his sister, but its been assumed that either she was his sister or just a friend from school. I'm assuming she was his sister for this story. No, the "Onegai Teacher" cast won't have a big part in this fic, and this will probably be the only chapter Kei and Mizuho appear until the wedding chapter. I had not planned for this fic to become a crossover, it still isn't, but that doesn't mean other characters can't make cameo appearances. As you might have guessed my three favorite girls of Anime are Kasumi, Belldandy, and Mizuho...all played by the same Japanese VA by the way. Sigh!


	6. Chapter 6

DISCLAIMER: Ranma ½ is the registered trademark of Viz Communications, Kitty Films, and Rumiko Takahashi.

Inspired by Adrian D. Moten's "Kasumi 1/2"

**A N E W D I R E C T I O N T A K E N**

by Michael "TheZorch" Haney

**FOREWORDS**

I'm BACK! Its taken a long time but I'm finally back and hopefully to stay this time around. A whole lot of crap happened between my last updates and now. I moved, lost my Internet connection, and then had to move again until I finally ended up in my own place again. Now I'm back online and you can enjoy the updates I've managed to do while I've been away. I didn't get to do a whole lot but here is what I've got for you so far. I hope you enjoy this chapter. This story is one of my favorite fan fic ideas as well as one of my favorites catchups. Saiyonara ... for now.

**CHAPTER 5**

In some small way he feared all of it had been just a dream. The crash, their time together on the island, their first kiss, the first time they made love. It all seemed like one great dream. He was getting married in two days, just two days, and he was terrified for one brief moment that none of it had been real. Slowly Saotome Ranma opened his eyes. To his relief he wasn't in his room, and the sensuously curved body laying in the bed next to him was not his father's furry carcus. It was still dark, he noticed with a glance towards the window. His father, thinking of him reminded Ranma that he wasn't around anymore, or at least he sure wasn't at the Tendo dojo.

The events of yesterday all came back in a blur of images. Cologne wanted to adopt him as an Amazon. Because of his curse he had special privileges not to mention the fact that he also defeated an entity the entire tribe didn't even have a prayer of defeating on their own. He certainly came a long way since his head first splash into Josenkyo. A long way indeed.

Kasumi was pregnant, with "his" child which was conceived while they were alone on a tropical island somewhere in the vastness of the South Pacific. There were thousands of uncharted, uninhabited islands out there and they ended up on one of them by sheer chance. There was no denying in his heart he loved Kasumi with his very being. The idea of living the rest of his life with her filled him with a joy that was indescribable. He'd never felt this way about any girl. Not even Akane.

Akane ...

Ranma still as yet hasn't really had much time to really talk to her about all of this. Up until a few days they were the ones engaged to be married. For two years they'd been engaged and everyone knew how they really felt about one another even though neither of them would consciously admit it. It was only when one or the other was in true mortal danger or in danger of being stolen away that their mutual feelings would surface. Yet, they were unable to admit how they felt openly and that had been the downfall of their relationship. Akane wouldn't let go of her prejudice against boys, and Ranma wouldn't let go of his stubborn pride. Two years totally wasted. Well, not totally wasted he told himself. Fighting off Akane's nearly endless stream of lecherous suitors and the occasional encounter with a truly powerful enemy like Herb and Saffron had the effect of transforming him into the most powerful martial artist on Earth. Oh, but at what a dear cost to his heart, and to those around him.

Ranma's darkening mood change abruptly as he felt a pair of supple arms encircle him. In the dull light from the street lamps outside he could see Kasumi's beautiful, dark eyes watching. Nothing had to be said, she knew what he needed, what they needed. He wasn't the only one hurting due to all of this. Kasumi loved him with all her heart yet she also felt like she was betraying her dear little sister whom she knew loved Ranma deeply. She knew she was dwelling on things that she'd already pondered over a thousand times before the last few days.

Together the young couple drowned their sorrows in a sea of surging emotions and sensations. The merer act of just making love alone wasn't what made it feel so special to them. For Ranma it was how soft Kasumi's body felt against his own, the sweet aroma of her skin, the softness of her lips. For Kasumi it was how gentle Ranma's arms held her, arms that could bend iron bars, and how he seemed to know just the right places to touch or kiss her that send a shiver down her spine. Shiatsu played a role in their lovemaking. Ranma enjoyed how Kasumi often reacted to his slightest touch. His curse had also given him a unique perspective on just how sensitive the female body could be. Anything but silk shirts often drove his ... uh ... "her" nipples crazy since of course ... uh ... "he" never wore a bra in female form.

Four hours passed in a blur. Neither of them were quite sure when the sun came up while they'd been preoccupied. Ranma didn't want to let Kasumi go just yet. He sat up and drew her naked form into his arms and kissed her passionately. After they made out for a while, neither knew how long, Kasumi pulled back a little and looked at him.

"What's wrong, Ranma-sama?"

Ranma-sama. Kodachi often called him that and whenever he heard it said he often cringed. Yet, the same thing coming from Kasumi's lips was the most beautiful thing that had ever graced his ears. Kasumi had such a beautifully deep, sensuous voice. No wonder the Doc wigged whenever he heard her voice, Ranma thought.

"Suki da, Kasumi-chan." he whispered to her.

She pulled him to her breast and laid her head of his shoulder. "Suki da, Ranma-sama." she replied in that soft voice that sent delightful chills though him.

"I woke up so scared that none of this had been, ya know, real. That I'd dreamed it all." he admitted to her.

Kasumi pulled back to look into his eyes. "You are not dreaming, I am really here and I will always be here."

Smiling he gently laid her back down onto the bed and kissed her. "Lets just stay here and make love all day." he said with a smile.

Kasumi laughed. "Remember the last time we did that. We did not fix the roof and it rained all that night. You woke up the next day sneezing your head off."

"That was probably the day I knocked ya up. I was still swore the day they finally picked us up." he returned the laugh. Damn, if he'd know sex was so much fun and felt so good he probably would have knocked Shampoo and Ukyo both up by now. Akane would have killed him dead if he tried doing it with her.

"Besides, its seven in the morning. I have to start breakfast and you have school." she reminded him. Ranma cringed at the "s" word. School meant being away from her, but most of all it meant dealing with Kuno. If there was ever a person Ranma ever truly hated it was Kuno Tatawaki. He was a perpetual thorn in the young martial artist's side. Ryoga was different, he could back up his words and put up one hell of a fight. Ranma often enjoyed their fights, they were great workouts. Kuno, the bokuto wielding blow hard, was all bark and a no bite. He was like those little annoying ankle-biters that chased after your heels going yip yip yip. Worst of all, he wouldn't admit defeat, constantly saw his personal defeats as evidence of foul play or dark magic, and there was no getting into the baka's head that he could ever actually lose a fight. In Kuno's little fantasy world he lived in he was invincible and he was the greatest fighter in history. How he avoided a stay in the rubber room Ranma really didn't know.

"Ya think its a good idea for me ta go? Taro's in town." he reminded her.

Kasumi disarmed him with her patented "its going to be alright" smile. "He is after Happosai-sensei, and he always seems so polite whenever I have talked with him."

Pantyhose Taro, polite? My ass! "Yeah, but ..." Besides, he noticed the freak checking Kasumi the few times he came around Tendo-ke.

"You are going to school. My husband-to-be is getting a good education." she told him sternly.

"Ok." he nodded. He didn't really know what bothered him worse, the fact that Kasumi had gotten upset, or that he'd caused her to be.

"Good." she smiled and kissed him fondly.

That morning Akane had gone ahead to school immediately after breakfast. Of course, this meant that Ranma had to walk to school with Nabiki. It wasn't all that bad, he didn't mind being seen in public with Nabiki or wasn't embarrassed to be around her or anything. It was just that since becoming enlightened to the world of sex he'd started noticing things. Things like how well built Nabiki was under her school uniform. Her cup size had to rival Shampoo's and he knew from experience that Shampoo wasn't small, and Ukyo was probably bigger than both of them. Distractions. Distractions. Distractions. Geeze, he thought, if Kuno ever got some he'd become ten times worse than he is now if this is happening to me.

Nabiki wasn't some brainless, clueless girl like most of the other vain little strumpets she knew at school. She had a head on her shoulders and she was very observant. Nabiki had noticed the changes in Ranma since the day he and Kasumi returned. She saw the little exchanges they made with their eyes from time to time across the room. At the time she made nothing of it. A part of her wished she'd paid a little more attention then, she lost out on a really great money making scheme because of it. It wasn't like she was broke, on the contrary selling info about Ranma's return brought in a lot of money. If only the pigtailed boy knew how many female, and male, admirers he had at school. Not all of the girls were interested in his male half, and not all of the boys were interested in his female half either. She also noticed how different Ranma was around women. He never fell to pieces like Ryoga who passed at the sight of just a little bit of cleavage, but he did get flustered. Nabiki knew why he was different, and if it ever got out that Ranma was no longer a virgin ... Nerima would become a war zone. This tidbit of info was volatile, it had to be used carefully or it could blow up in her face and wind up wrecking her family's house. Or, to be more accurate, Ranma and Akane's mutual suitors and enemies would rip the city apart to get to them.

Nabiki noticed that it had become harder for Shampoo and Ukyo to manipulate Ranma. Before all they had to do was glomp him and rub their bodies up against him and he'd go to pieces or give in to what they wanted just to get away. Now though, he didn't mind the closeness. He had several opportunities to go off with any girl he wanted and do whatever, but Nabiki knew Ranma better than that. He'd never cheat on Kasumi, if there was one redeemable quality to him it was his commitment to her older sister. Ranma, she knew without a doubt, was totally committed to Kasumi. She didn't have to test him to figure that out. She wasn't afraid some other pretty thing would come along and drag him away, unless she knocked him out first.

"Saotome-kun." she called to him. Ranma had been up on the fence as usual. It was a habit Akane often found annoying. For Ranma it was training. Nearly anything the boy seemed to do, no matter how mundane the task, he somehow turned into a chance to train. It was all because of his father, of course. He drilled training so hard into the boy's brain that he approached just about everything as exercise.

The pigtailed boy leapt down to the sidewalk beside her. "What'cha want Nabiki?" he asked, half afraid at what she might want from him.

She was tempted to say "a roll in the hay" just to see how Kasumi lived for a brief moment, but instead she only puffed out her chest. She noticed him glancing at her a few times. It was nice having a boy look at her "that way" for once rather than their usual looks of fear or disgust. It kind of turned her on that Ranma thought of her as attractive, and he must certainly think she'd pretty considering the number of times he looked at her breast in the past ten minutes.

His eyes wandered down for just a moment confirming what she suspected. He does think I'm pretty., she told herself. "How are things going on between you and Kasumi-oniichan?" she asked.

"I thought you knew everything that goes on in the house." he replied.

"I don't have the place rigged with hidden cameras and mics, if that's what your implying Ranma-kun." she replied with a smirk.

The pigtailed boy blushed furiously and replied, "That's a relief."

The middle Tendo sister cracked a smirk. "Hmmm. A racy video of your nightly escapades with Kasumi would certainly make a lot of yen. Thanks for the suggestion, Ranma-kun."

"Don't you dare!" he bellowed at her grabbing the front of her dress. Having a man as powerful as Ranma grabbing her like this was a bit exciting. His knuckles rested against her attributes and she could feel them firming up. He was more than strong enough to do with her what he wanted. Her punches and kicks, what little she remembered learning as a child, would be feeble against a fighter of his caliber. A part of her fantasized he was ripping off her dress and carrying her off to ravish her. Woah! Since when did she start thinking of Ranma "that" way. He wasn't a boy looking guy, he was actually a real hunk compared to the other boys at school, but above all he belonged to Kasumi.

"Relax Ranma-kun, I'm just yanking your chain." she laughed. Embarrassed and blushing as red as his female half's hair, Ranma realized where his hand was and what it was resting against and snatched it away.

"Yeah, I shoulda known you wouldn't do that to Kasumi." he replied scratching the bad of his head.

"You really 'do' love her don't you?" she asked in the most candid tone of voice he'd ever heard use before.

"If you're worried that I might hurt her, don't. I'd never hurt Kasumi." he told her firmly.

Nabiki give him a smirk. "If I thought that about you Ranma-kun I would have found a way to blackmail you into being a good boy for her."

"Uh, ok. That's a comforting thought."

"I'm glad you think so highly of me." she frowned.

He sighed, "I don't hate you Nabiki, despite all you've done ta me I don't."

"I know that baka. You've been ogling my tits too much for that, you gotta like me just a little at least." she replied. She nearly laughed like a giddy little schoolgirl when the boy's face turned blood red.

"Gomen." he said with a respectful bow.

"You never paid much attention to us girls before. I mean you've seen Akane naked a few times, Shampoo more than a few times, and only Kami-sama knows how many times you've seen Ukyo or Kodachi. Yet, you never once acted like the other guys at school, what I mean is you didn't turn into a raving hentai." she said to him.

"I ain't like the old freak." Ranma replied resolutely.

"I'm not saying you should be, baka. What I'm saying is that you've changed." she explained.

His eyebrows went up. "How?"

She answered him as they started walking towards school again. "Well, for one thing you've been looking me over a lot lately."

"I said I was sorry." he groused.

Nabiki actually blushed when she said, "Its kind of nice having a kawaii guy thinks I'm attractive for once. If you haven't noticed I don't have a lot of admirers at school."

"I think you're the most beautiful woman at school, and if anyone else can't see that then its their loss." Ranma told her with true conviction in his voice.

Nabiki was totally unaccustomed to this sort of thing. It was her turn to be flustered. Blushing a furious red she replied, "Ar ... arigato-gosaimasu." He called me a woman., she told herself in surprise.

"I don't know what it is. Ever since I was with Kasumi its like I see girls differently than before." he explained to her. "I notice things I didn't before. Like how pretty you can be if you smile more often."

Kasumi, you'd better keep this one on a tight leash or I might run away with him., Nabiki thought to herself. "You're father never taught you about the birds and the bees did he."

"Feh. I knew how sex was done, but I didn't know a thing about what it was like. Pop never told me anything about it and whenever I asked he always found something else to talk about instead." he told her.

"So, how did you learn about it? Beside from my older sister." she asked.

Ranma blushed so furiously he nearly glowed. "When we were on the road, me and Pop, I'd do a lot of training. He taught me how to sneak into movie theaters to see movies without paying."

Nabiki's eyebrow did a Spock Maneuver. "Oh?"

"I don't do it anymore. Not after that one time." he said.

"And what was that?" she asked with a sheepish grin.

He scratched the back of his head and said, "Uh, well, I was practicing my technique and found a place to sneak into. How was I supposed to know it was an 'adult' movie theater."

Nabiki couldn't hold it back and laughed so hard she nearly doubled over. She has such a pretty laugh., Ranma told himself. He wondered how often had she really laughed, or even smiled.

She slapped him on the back after recovering. "Arigato Ranma-kun, I really needed that." She passed him and walked down the street a ways before turning around towards him. "You know, I'm glad you're going to be my brother-in-law. Life would really be boring if you weren't around. And, I'd really miss you if you ever left." With that said she ran for Furiken's front gate leaving him behind to pick his jaw off the ground.

Nabiki walked through the halls of Furinken High in a daze. What a morning it had been. First she a little fun with Ranma only to discover how really sweet he could be. It was something she never really realized about him before. To tell the truth she never took the time to really get to know the person behind the reputation. To top it off, she found a pile of love letters in her locker.

Love letters! Addressed to her!

After a hour of poking around to find out what caused all of this to happen Nabiki ran into her little sister. Akane was up on the school's roof wiping away tears in her eyes. When she looked back at Nabiki she was smiling. Akane had been crying a lot since the day the engagement changed hands. It was as plain as the tears on her face that Akane had strong feelings for the young martial artist, but she wouldn't let me show. Nabiki blamed herself for Akane's inability to freely express her feelings towards Ranma. She was the one who stoked the flames of Kuno's desire for her little sister in order to exploit his obsessive-compulsive behavior to make money. The money went towards keeping the creditors at bay and putting food on the table but the price she paid was far too high. She was still paying interest on it, and it was costing her little sister's happiness.

"Akane?"

"Hi, Nabiki-oniichan."

"Why are you crying?" Nabiki asked sitting next to her sister.

Akane looked away to peer through the fence towards the view of the school yard. "I saw Ranma today." she replied.

"You two didn't fight did you?" Nabiki asked, genuine concern in her voice.

Akane shook her head. "He was talking to a bunch of the boys in gym class."

"And?"

Akane gaze up at her. "He was talking to them about you."

Nabiki sat up in surprise. "Me?"

"He asked them if they thought you were cute. A few of them said yes, he took them to the side and found a few more guys who said they thought you were cute." Akane explained.

Nabiki rolled her eyes. "Good grief."

"That isn't all. Yuka overheard Ranma talking to them later after class. He talked them into asking you out. He even offered to give them free classes in Anything Goes if they did." Akane went on.

"That doesn't explain why you're crying." said Nabiki.

Akane stifled a brief sob then said, "Yuka said that he told them that you were a sweeter girl than you usually let on and that if they passed up the chance to try and be your boyfriend they'd be making the biggest mistake of their lives."

Nabiki gasped and looked away. Akane could see a bright blush on her face that reach all the way down to her shoulders. "He ... did that, for me?"

"He ... he ... he's been going around school to all of the athletic clubs," Akane explained, her voice was starting to quiver and the tears returned. "He told them that if he even hears a rumor that the attacks on me are starting up again that he'd personally hunt them all down one by one."

Nabiki regarded her with a wide-eyed expression of disbelief. Ranma never made base threats, and he always followed up on them. There wasn't one boy on campus that would dare provoke the ire of Saotome Ranma, except for Kuno, but he wasn't in his right mind to begin with. She'd heard some rumors that the Hentai Horde was going to reform. It was possible that Ranma heard that same rumor. By now everyone in school pretty much knew about Ranma and Kasumi. Since Akane was free again it would mean a return of the attacks, eventually. Ranma pretty much nipped that one in the bud for good. He could take on Kuno, Ryoga, and the entire male student body of Furinken High and not break a sweat.

"I thought you'd be mad if he butted into your business, ne?" inquired Nabiki.

Akane wiped away her tears. "I'm not mad. I'm ... surprised. Why would he do that for me if he's with Kasumi now?"

"Because I think, and this is a stretch, but I think he loves both of you." said Nabiki. She should have said she was certain that Ranma loved them both one-hundred percent from the way he's been acting lately.

"But ..."

"Look at all you two have been through the past two years, Akane. All the challenges, people trying to get between you, and that mess over in China. I 'know' he loves Kasumi but I also know he loves you too." said Nabiki interrupting her.

Akane looked down at her hands and replied, "But he's marrying Kasumi."

Nabiki decided to risk saying what she said next. Either Akane would take the words to heart or fly off in the rage but they had to said. "Hey, like Auntie Saotome aways says, most married men have a mistress or two." Her little sister look at her for a moment as if she'd suddenly grown a pair of horns on her head. For a moment she thought Akane was going to storm off in a rage. To her surprise she started laughing.

She giggled, "That was a good one, Nabiki-oniichan."

"I wasn't joking." Nabiki told her seriously.

Akane regarded her with a look of unadulterated shock yet the look in the eyes told Nabiki that the gears in her head were turned at light-speed. Without even saying a word Akane leapt to her feet and ran for the door to the stair well. Nabiki watched her go, her calves flashing as she ran and laughed. Well, that was her good deed for this year. She wondered if Ranma wouldn't mind two mistresses. He was more than man enough for three women and she was sure his mother would approve. Suddenly realizing what she just contemplated her faced burned red hot. Yet, she couldn't get the thought out of her head.

It had been a really long day at school. Too long. Ranma had been worrying about Kasumi all day knowing that Pantyhose Taro was still out and about in Nerima. The old freak hadn't been around in a while and that worried him too. There was no telling when the little hentai would show up again. The pigtailed boy was certain that Taro would show up almost immediately afterwards. He didn't care squat about the old freak, he cared about Kasumi, and Taro had already proven that he didn't give a shit about innocent bystanders. The battle at the bath house almost half a year ago proved that. Happosai was just about the same, but Ranma noticed that he did calm things down when children were around. At least the little freak of nature had some sense in his little melon head., he thought to himself.

"Ranma!"

He looked up to see who had called out his name. To his surprise the person was Akane. Behind her he could see Ukyo staring daggers at her. She'd been preparing to go over and make him some okonomiyaki for lunch when Akane appeared. She'd been running and was out of breath, she raised her hand to stop him from asking what was the matter before she was able to speak. She didn't get a chance to say anything. There was a sudden blur of motion and a diminutive figure appeared between them. They both recognized him as Sasuki, the Kuno clan's ninja/servant. The small man prostrated himself in front of Ranma sobbing.

"Forgive me! I didn't know how she'd react!" he cried.

"Who? And for what?" Ranma demanded, but in the bottom of his stomach he was certain he knew whom the little ninja was talking about.

"I spied on your house, I know everything," the little man confessed. "I tried to calm her down, but I couldn't stop her."

Akane gasped, "Kodachi."

"Kasumi-chan!" Ranma exclaimed, his voice a mixture of anger and agony.

"Ranma! Wait up!" Akane cried out as she ran after him.

The old man wasn't anywhere around, that much was for sure. He'd met up with the cross dresser once. That was one hell of a fight. Fun too. But, his real target was nowhere to be seen. The Tendos didn't have any idea where he might be. Not even that cutie named Kasumi. He didn't have time for romance or one-night-stands. Not to say a girl like her classified as a one-night-stand. No, she was far too good looking and sweet for that. She was the kind of girl you had to romance. He didn't have time for that right now. He had to find the old man. His patience was wearing very thin. Its been over a year since he found him and tried to get his name changed, and it was bad enough that an old hentai like Happosai just had to be his god father. The name he saddled him with ... ugh!

Pantyhose Taro looked out over the city in disgust. He didn't have much of a life anymore beyond seeking revenge. Everything else in his life was set aside for it. Was it really worth all this, getting a new name? When was the last time he slept in a real bed instead of on the ground, or in some run down old abandoned building? When was the last time he went home to visit his dear mother? Too long. The search was starting to make him feel older than he really was. Maybe, it was time to give up. But, for someone like Taro giving up was hard to do.

What he needed was a reason to stop. But what in the world could that possibly be.

Nabiki looked down from the roof of the school to see Ranma and Akane racing off towards the main gate at a full run. Something was wrong, she could feel it. She'd seen Sasuki say something to the two of them a few minutes ago. What could he have told them that would make them ...? Oh Kami-sama! What if Sasuki knew about what happened between Ranma and Kasumi. It wouldn't be the first time he's spied on their house without her noticing. If that was what happened then 'she' knows. Nabiki could never conceive of anyone ever wanting to harm her dear, sweet hearted big sister. But then, they were dealing with a Kuno.

As she ran for the stairwell Nabiki was stopped by a sudden and very powerful urge to sneeze.

Akane wasn't really sure how she managed to keep up with him. Ranma left the sidewalk for the rooftops after leaving the school grounds. Maybe it was adrenaline or her concern for her big sister. Whatever it was it gave her the boost she needed to keep even pace with the super-human martial artist. She was able to jump to the top of a one story house, two stories were still a little too hard for her. Ranma could clear three or four if he really needed to, and she'd seen him leap a five story building once but that was when he was really pissed off. Visions of Kodachi standing over Kasumi-oniichan's battered form drove her onward. If that crazy gymnast lays one hand on her big sister she'll have hell to pay.

They both cleared the wall surrounding Tendo-ke with a single powerful leap. Looking around they both notice that some of the wash was hanging out to dry. A basket, half full of wet linen sat nearby. That wasn't a good sign. Kasumi never left jobs like hanging the wash out to dry half finished for anything. As one they ran towards the house, the dinning room was a total wreck. Akane saw her father laying on the floor. He sat up in a daze, his face crisscrossed with friction burns from a ribbon that had been wrapped around his face. 'She' had been here, but where was Kasumi?

"Dad, where's Kasumi?" Akane demanded.

Soun started blubbering, "Kasumi ... Nodoka ... running!"

"Mom's with her! Come on!" Ranma cried and ran off towards the direction the devastation to the house lead. Their path lead them behind the dojo and towards a gapping hold in the wall. In the distance they both heard shouts and a hideous, haunting laughter.

"If she touches Kasumi, I'll kill that bitch!" Akane growled.

"Stand in line." Ranma replied, his voice tight with rage.

They ran down the street following a trail of batter and broken street lamps and telephone poles. Some of them looked like they'd been cut by a blade. There were even a few smash parked cars. One of them looked like it had been sliced in half. If Kodachi could do this kind of damage ... They found them in a vacant lot. The same one Ranma often used to practice his more dangerous techniques and where he often fought Ryoga in their never ending duels. Kasumi sat cowering on the ground near a pile of lumber against the bad privacy wall. Standing between her and Kodachi was Ranma's mother. Her kimono was torn and ripped in places, in her shaking hands she held the Saotome family sword. Ranma and Akane both noted that Kodachi's green leotard was covered in slashes. Her ribbon, which she was twirling around her head had little nicks and cuts in it. Several spiked clubs lay on the ground cut clean in half.

Mom put up one hell of a fight, but she can't out last Kodachi., Ranma reasoned.

"Out of my way woman! I will not tolerate this insolence any longer!" Kodachi screamed.

"Stay away ... from her you lunatic! I don't want ... to hurt you but ... I will!" Nodoka screamed in reply between deep breaths.

"KODACHI!" came a cry, two voices shouting in unison.

The insane gymnast turned, her face was a mask of unadulterated rage. When her eyes feel upon Ranma it abruptly changed to one of sheer joy. She pranced over to his side and feel into a sweet, submissive stance with her hands clasped before her. It was the way Kasumi usually stood when she addressed him, Ranma noticed. It did nothing to diminish his rage. Nodoka could see hatred burning in her son's eyes. The sight frightened her. How many opponents he's face looked into such a face? Did Saffron looking upon such a visage when her son faced him?

"Ranma-sama! At last you have come to me. Let us leave here, you need not obey the whines of these deceitful women any longer." Kodachi said, almost cooing.

Ranma replied, "You went too far Kodachi. If you've hurt Kasumi ... I'll kill you."

The young girl's face became a mask of utter disbelief. With a gasp she leapt back and began twirling her ribbon around herself. "They've turned you against me! These vile witches have bewitched you!"

"You're as clueless as your baka brother." Ranma said shaking his head. He suppressed the urge to laugh in her face.

"But Ranma-sama. First they demand that you marry that vile trollop Tendo Akane. Now, they demand you marry 'her', and to think I almost considered her a dear friend." Kodachi replied staring daggers back towards Kasumi's direction.

"You alright mom?" Ranma asked Nodoka, ignoring Kodachi.

"Hai! Just ... tired. I'm not ... in the greatest of ... shape to do ... this anymore." she replied. He noticed that she was breathing hard.

"Akane, get Kasumi and my mom out of here please." Ranma said over his shoulder.

Akane started to protest, her voice was stolen by a gasp as she felt a wave of cold wash off of Ranma's body. His form was surrounded by a faint blue aura. She recognized it. The last time she'd seen it was at Josendo. "Hai." she said and moved towards her sister.

Kodachi moved like lightning to intercept her but Ranma was faster. He caught her snapping ribbon before it even reached Akane. He stood his ground between Kodachi and the Tendo sisters. Out of the corner of his eye he saw his mother and Akane escort a violently shaking Kasumi out of the vacant lot. With the area clear Ranma released the tight hold he held over his energy. The faint blue aura erupted into a bright blue geyser.

"Nobody hurts or threatens Kasumi. Nobody ... ever." he said in a cold, emotionless voice.

"Ranma-sama, what have they done to you," Kodachi cried out, her face contorted into a visage of horror. "Why do you say these things?"

"Run."

"Nani?"

"Run," he said again. "Run away and never return, or I'll do something I might regret later. It wouldn't be the first time I've killed for someone I love."

"Kill ... me?" Kodachi gasped in a meek voice.

He looked into her eyes and said, "You got problems, that's why I ain't ripping your heart out right now. That, and it looks like mom kept ya from hurting Kasumi."

"You cannot possibly love ..."

"She's carrying my baby." he told her.

If it were possible Kodachi's eyes would have bugged out of her skull and her chin would have made a crater. He could see her resolve was weakening now. She lost her grip on her ribbon and it went flying harmlessly away. Her legs lost their strength making her fall to her knees.

"She's ... she's ... with child?"

"Hai." he nodded.

"It is ... yours?" she asked in a whisper.

Maybe she finally getting the point., he thought. One could only hope. "Hai. It happened when we were stranded on an island in the Pacific for a few months."

She looked down at her hands for a long moment. Ranma pulled back on his aura. He had summoned up enough power that just one punch would have burst her internal organs and shatter her backbone. Maybe Kodachi wasn't as clueless as her brother. Both Kunos were pretty nuts, but he hoped there could be come hope for them. He didn't really hate Kodachi, he didn't like her either, but hate never really entered his thoughts. Not until he thought she hurt Kasumi. His mom made sure she was safe. He was surprised that she knew how to use that sword. She always seemed pretty clumsy with it before.

"BETRAYER! BACKSTABBER! THAT CHILD SHOULD BE MINE!"

When it came to fighting Ranma was nobody's fool. He also knew better than to let all of his guard down around a Kuno. Just because Kodachi was a girl meant nothing. He knew from personal experience that she was one hell of a fighter. She also fought dirty even during a competition ... usually before one. This was what made her even more dangerous than her brother in some ways. At least Tatawaki had some sense in propriety and tried to fight fair. He had his moments like during the time Sasuki discovered his fear for c ... c ... those furry animals that purr. He saw Kodachi's attack coming long before she leapt towards him. His warrior's sense felt the tightening of her muscles, the build up of ki in her body.

She came up from the ground at him. Her hand came around producing a picked club out of nowhere aimed straight as his throat. Ranma dodged out of the way so fast his form left an after-image for a split second. Before she could react and compensate for this move Ranma's leg came up and snap kicked her in the chest. The wind was knocked out of her, doubling her over. A second spinning snap kick from behind send her flying face first towards the ground. It all happened so fast that the two impacts felt like one.

She wasn't out of the fight yet though, not by a long shot. Kodachi threw back her hand releasing a handful of tiny balls covered in razor shape spikes. Ranma's danger sense screamed. He leapt away as they hit the ground exploding. The spikes flew ripping small gashes in his silk shirt. He landed in front of Kodachi and yelp in surprise as a new ribbon wrapped itself around his arm.

"No one spurns the affections of Kuno Kodachi." the insane gymnast snarled.

Ranma convulsed as electricity shot through him. He lost control of his muscles and watched with horror as the ground flew up at him. The shocking continued until suddenly a shadow passed overhead. He heard Kodachi cry out in pain and surprise. The handle of the ribbon hit the ground in front of his face jostling the switch ending his torment. It took him all of three seconds to recover and struggle to his feet. When he looked up he gaped in astonishment. Akane stood between him and the insane gymnast in a fighting stance. Kodachi stood staring daggers at her as she shook the pain from her right hand.

"Ranma-chan, are you ok?" Akane asked, she didn't dare turn her head away from the insane girl to look over her shoulder.

"Hai, Akane-chan." she heard him say just behind her. She couldn't see the loving expression he directed her way. If she had seen it she would have gasped and lot her focus on the fight.

Akane-chan, the youngest Tendo gasped inwardly. Her heart pounded in her chest, but it wasn't because of the fight. "Give it up Kodachi. He'll never be yours. He doesn't want to be with you let alone around you." she said to Kodachi angrily.

""Vile bitch! You want him for yourself!" Kodachi lunged at her with her spiked club. Back during the gymnast competition Akane would have been a easy opponent for Kodachi. Since then however, two years later, Akane had made significant improvements in her style. She still wasn't anywhere near Ranma's level but she was now more than a match for the insane gymnast. She dodged to the left as the club passed her face. Akane turned so her back was facing towards Kodachi and lashed out with her arm connecting her elbow with the girl's sternum. She came around spinning on the ball of her right foot and brought her left leg up. Akane's knee hit Kodachi's forehead as the girl doubled over. Akane finished her spin in time to see the leotard clad girl fall sprawling to the ground knocked out cold.

"That ... that move ... it was perfect." she turned towards Ranma who was looking at her with an expression of awe.

"You think so, really?" she asked him hopefully, blushing.

He nodded, "Hai. It was so fluid, it was almost ... beautiful."

"Ranma, I ..." she began.

But, he interrupted her, "Gomen. I hurt you. I betrayed you with your sister. It wasn't done to hurt you, it just happened. I love her very much. And, I love ya too." He looked down at his feet not really sure what else he could say.

"You deserve better than what I did to ya. I'm such a baka." he added in a half-sob.

Akane didn't respond with words. Before he knew what was happening he found himself in her arms, her lips pressed against his. He returned it without any hesitation at all. His arms found themselves around her pulling her closer. Everything else seemed to fad away around them until there was nothing but the two of them. Akane pulled him closer with her arms around his neck. Ranma pressed into their kiss and lifted the shorter girl in his arms.

"Suki da, Ranma-chan." Akane whispered after they broke their kiss. He was still holding her in his arms and began to spin with her around and around.

"Suki da, Akane-chan." he replied likewise.

Not far away the other two women watched the exchange. Kasumi stood with her hand on her cheek, a happy little smile on her lips. "Oh my oh my." she sighed. Nodoka watched them with a beaming expression. She imagined all of the grandchildren she would soon have from the two women who lover her son oh so much. It was clear from the way Kasumi watched them that she accept the situation. In some small way Kasumi knew this was how things were going to be. Ranma wasn't the kind of man who could or should be limited to just one loving woman in his life. She always have his heart, but she couldn't compete with how he felt for her little sister. Nor would she ever think of competing with her, not about this. Saotome Ranma was more than man enough for both of them.

"My son is so manly." Nodoka sobbed wiping tears from her eyes.

Somebody really did a number on Tendo-ke., Pantyhose Taro thought to himself as he walked through the whole in the wall. His was a benign social call, he didn't come here to fight nor was he looking for a fight. It looks like the walked into something pretty big though considering the amount of damage done to the place. Maybe it was that boy that's cursed to turn into a piglet, he thought. Or it could be that sexy Chinese Amazon that's always trying to get into fem-boy's pants. As he neared the house his keen warrior's hearing picked up the sound of rubble crunching under foot. He braced himself for attack, but his senses didn't send back any warnings. Out from the gaping hole in the house came the girl he knew as Nabiki. Akane's older sister. She'd changed her school uniform into a pair of short-shorts and halter top. For a long moment he found himself captivated by her long, beautifully curved legs. But, his eyes nearly bugged out of head when he gazed upwards toward her chest. Why hadn't he ever noticed it before. Nabiki was a total babe, and she was stacked!

"I assume you didn't do this?" she asked him pointing a thumb back towards the tail of destructions that wormed it way through her home.

"Just got here." he replied.

"If you're looking for Ranma I think he ran that way." she told him pointing towards the hole in the outer wall surrounding the yard.

"I'm ... tired."

"Nani?" she said looked at him strangely.

"I'm just ... tired. Tired of chasing down that old freak-job. Tired of everything." he said.

Nabiki regarded him with a curious expression. "I didn't consider you to be the kind to give up so easily."

Taro laughed, "Neither did I babe."

Nabiki frowned at being called "babe", though she never really noticed before but the pantyhose boy was actually pretty cute. "Do ya know how longs its been since I visited my mom in China, or slept on a real bed?" he asked her.

"No, not really." she said and walked towards him.

"Three years. That's how long I've been trying to find Happosai. Three fucking years totally wasted." he told her. She could feel a sense of desperation in his mood.

"Don't beat yourself over the head. Ranma's been trying to get rid of him for two years and he still isn't anywhere near to finishing the old man off." she explained to him.

He laughed and said, "That's a surprise, considering how good old fem-boy can fight."

"Well, the old man knows what buttons to push to get Ranma off guard." said Nabiki.

"If you aren't here looking for Ranma or the old hentai, what are you here for?" she asked him.

What the hell, why not, what would it hurt, he asked himself. "Actually, I was wondering if you had a date for tonight."

Nabiki heart leapt in her chest. A boy, a "cute" boy was asking her out. Wait, this "was" Pantyhose Taro after all. "I don't know. I'd have to ask my father if I can go out." she said.

"Since when does the great Tendo Nabiki ask permission from her father to do anything?" Taro smirked playfully at her.

He's quick., she said to herself. "I think I have some free time tonight. What did you have in mind?"

"A dinner and a movie, or something like that. I haven't seen a movie since 'Titanic' was in theaters." he said.

"I loved that movie," Nabiki admitted openly. "Its one of the few gaijin films I actually like." Could it be he's one of those hopeless romantics., she hoped inside.

Taro shuffled his feet a bit nervously in the grass. "I usually ain't into romantic movies and stuff, but that one was pretty good."

"There's a few interesting movies out, we could pick one out. Where do you think we should have dinner?" she asked him.

Taro thought for a moment and asked, "How does that Chinese place called 'The Emerald Dragon' sound?"

That's a really expensive place, Nabiki nearly gasped. It was one of those restaurants where you had to wait for a table and your meal was prepared for you right there by a master chef who made a show out of cooking. A lot of well know celebrities were known to frequent the place.

"I'm buying." he added.

That clinched the deal. "How about we leave at six o'clock?" she asked him.

"Sounds cool." he replied.

"Will you be pressing any charges, Saotome-san?"

Nodoka thanked Kami-sama for conscientious neighbors. Someone had seen the attack and called the police. They arrived not long after Akane sent Kodachi into La-La land. The girl was still out cold but was now firmly tied up in a straight bag. At both Ranma and Nodoka's insistence, mostly for the police's own protection from the dangerous girl. Ranma, Akane, and Kasumi all give statements. Nodoka was taken off to the side with a female officer and explained everything that had happened and what she knew of the girl. Officer Tokuju Kiwara was familiar with reputation of the Kuno clan. She'd heard about the girl's penchant for ambushing opposing teams before a martial arts gymnastics tournament, but wasn't ever able to prosecute the case because nobody would turn over state's evidence.

"No. She needs help. I do hope to Kami-sama that she gets it." Nodoka shook her head.

"Well, considering what we have on record concerning this girl its a good chance she will. We'll be taking her to Tokyo General, they have a good psychiatric ward there." Officer Tokuju replied writing down a few final notes.

"My son and Akane aren't going to be in trouble, are they?" Nodoka inquired nervously.

"Looks like a justified case of self-defense to me." the officer said closing her notebook.

A uniformed officer walked up to them and said, "We're done here, I collected statements from all of the neighbors, the victim and the two teenagers. It looks like this isn't the first time this girl has caused trouble."

"I'm already authorizing a that full psychiatric evaluation be done on her at the hospital. Kaji and Chitose are taking her there." she told him.

Nodoka said fervently, "Be careful with her. She's very dangerous."

"From the amount of damage she did with just a ribbon and a pair of gymnast's clubs I can understand your concern, Saotome-san." Office Kiwara replied earnestly.

"Oh, we won't be needing this as evidence." she said handing the now sheathed Saotome clan katana back to Nodoka.

"Arigato-gosaimasu." she bowed as she accepted the weapon.

Kodachi was loaded into an ambulance with two uniformed cops whom both had arm muscles the size of telephone poles. The girl was strong, but those two bruisers looked a hell of a lot stronger. Ranma hoped they'd be enough to keep her in check when she finally wakes up. The second she opens her mouth they'll know immediately how nuts she is. With the police gone and a few kind words exchanged between Nodoka and the neighbor who called them they were finally headed home.

Kasumi sighed when she saw the destruction to her house. It really wasn't that bad considering how badly it had been damaged before, but the furo was a wreck and so was much of her kitchen. Soun was outside looking at the gaping hole sobbing at the top of his lungs. Nabiki stood with a man Kasumi recognized as the insurance adjuster she often dealt with when the house needed repairs. Off to the side stood someone none of them expected to see.

"Oh my, Ranma, there's your friend." she said pointing.

"Oh great, we loose one loon for another." he muttered under his breath and approached Pantyhose Taro.

"I assume whoever did 'that' got their ass kicked." Taro said as Ranma approached him.

"Ya could say that. What'cha do'n here anyway?" he asked him preparing himself for the fight he knew could come at any second.

"I ain't here to fight fem-boy. Nabiki-chan would get real mad at me if I got beat up for our date tonight." Taro replied.

"Nani?" Ranma gaped at him.

Akane rushed up to Nabiki and demanded, "Are you nuts?"

"'He' asked me out. Besides, he's taking me out to an expensive restaurant." Nabiki explained to her.

"W ... Which one?" Akane asked her.

"The Emerald Dragon. It about a hour away by train in Tokyo." Nabiki answered her.

"And he's paying." she added.

Akane wandered away from her in a daze and walked over to where Ranma was talking to the boy in question as she got near she could hear them.

" ... tired of always running my ass off because of that old fart. It ain't worth it anymore." she heard Taro say.

"All I'm gonna say is ya better treat her right or I'm gonna knock that freaky bull head of yours in. Got it?" Ranma told him sternly.

Taro looked over at Nabiki and his expression softened. "You ain't gotta worry. I get the feeling she's a girl of class. Besides, she's a complete and total babe."

Ranma smiled and said, "On that I gotta agree. She is cute."

"I hear congrats are in order. You're gonna be a daddy." Taro said with a smirk.

Ranma rolled his eyes. How much did Nabiki tell him? "I guess I really can't call ya fem-boy anymore."

"What it." Ranma told him.

Taro said sincerely, "I hope you the best, man. Kasumi, she's ... a real special woman."

"She is," said Ranma. "All of the Tendo sisters are special to me. Since I came to live here I guess ya could say I fell in love with all of them. All in different ways, you know."

"I think somebody's looking for ya." Taro pointed behind Ranma. The pigtailed boy turned to see Akane standing her with a tear in her eye. She smiled at him and walked up to take his hand.

"So we'll be seeing you more often then?" she asked Taro.

The pantyhose garbed boy said, "Could be. Depends on how things go with me and Nabiki-chan."

Akane peered over at her sister. She could see her glancing over at Taro from time to time as she listened to the insurance man running down a few things on a sheet of paper he took from his briefcase. What she saw in her expression told Akane that they would certainly be seeing more of Taro around the house. At least his visits would be more friendly than before.

"Hey, if the man comes around again how's about we team up?" Ranma asked him.

"Double team the old hentai?" Taro replied questioningly. An evil grin spread across his face and he said, "Oh, I think we're gonna get along nicely."

"Boys." Akane said with a sigh. Of course, she couldn't wait to see a Ranma-Taro match up against the old freak. That would be one hell of a show. Nabiki could sell tickets, and she could sell the popcorn that Kasumi made. Boy would they make a lot of money. Listen to me, I sound like Nabiki., she told herself.

The stars, what few could be seen through the glare of the street lights, shined in the night sky. Ranma lay with his arms folded behind his head on the roof of Tendo-ke. On either side of him sat the two women who meant more to him than both either life and martial arts combined. He was a bit shocked that Kasumi accepted the whole thing. She was always such a properly young woman that he expected her to put up some resistance, but Kasumi was the first to come out and say that she felt it was "very appropriate" considering the circumstances. His mother was so ecstatic about the idea that she was literally dancing around the house in joy. Soun was a little harder to convince, but when both girls together pushed the notion he relented. He could never deny anything Kasumi wanted, ever. Nabiki wasn't surprised at all, and Ranma wasn't surprised to learn that it was she who gave Akane the idea in the first place. Maybe too much of his mother was starting to rub off on them. He was a happy man though. How many guys had two girls who loved him unconditionally and were actually willing to share him. One of them was going to be his legal wife in just two days and the other a mistress.

"Your right Ranchan. The stars are beautiful." said Akane. Why hadn't I done this before with him, she asked herself.

"Its most relaxing. Maybe we can have the contractors install a trap door in the roof so we can get up here easier." Kasumi suggested.

Ranma shook his head, "Don't you like it when I carry you up here?"

"Oh my I do, very much. Ranma-sama." she said blushing furiously.

Akane spoke up changing the subject. "I hope Nabiki's date is going well."

Ranma and Kasumi had both been thinking the same thing. The movie they went to see was over nearly three hours ago and the two still hadn't come back. Nabiki had her cell phone on her so she could call if she needed to. Ranma didn't think Taro would be the kind who was into date rape or anything like that. He didn't get a bad vibe from the boy earlier that day.

"She's a big girl. Besides, I'd worry more for Taro." Ranma joked.

"Ranma." Akane laughed.

"Oh my, I do hope they use protection if they get too friendly." Kasumi said out loud. Her eyes went wide as both Ranma and Akane slid off the roof and landed face first in the yard.

"I can't believe she just said that." Akane groused when she picked herself up. They both looked up as most beautiful sound they ever heard came lilting down from above. It was the sound of Kasumi laughing.

"Yep, she's definitely been hanging around mom too long." commented Ranma.

To be continued...

Author's Notes:

I borrowed from Frank Herbert for Kuno's line early on in this fic. Pairing up Nabiki and Pantyhose Taro was just a whim of mine. I wondered how well they'd get along together. In the anime and the manga Taro is drawn with a very boshimen look l understand most Japanese girls tend to go for. Also, Nabiki in this fic is pretty lonely. Not to say she's settling for Taro but I think something really good could come from it. Time will tell if it really works out. Happosai's return will be a real acid test.

I didn't want to rush right into Kodachi's reaction to Ranma's impending marriage with Kasumi. Of course, Sasuki left out certain detailed. He isn't stupid, by all means he's pretty intelligent when it comes to dealing with the Kuno children from what I see in the manga and anime. I tend to follow the manga more when creating scenarios for fan fics though. Two more to go until the wedding. Rest assured that it won't be the last chapter.

-- The Zorch


	7. Chapter 7

Copyright Viz Communications © 2007, copyright Kitty Films © 2007, copyright Rumiko Takahashi © 2007. All Rights Reserved. Written for fan appreciation only.

**oOOOo**

Inspired by Adrian D. Moten's "Kasumi 1/2"

**A N E W D I R E C T I O N T A K E N**

by Michael "TheZorch" Haney

**oOOOo**

**Forewords**

Ok, here's the new revised chapter with Genma removed from the scene in the dining room. I also made a decision about the sequel to this story. You can read all about at the end of this chapter.

**oOOOo**

**Chapter 7**

Ranma woke the next morning to find Tendo-ke in total mayhem. Not the kind that usually blows holes in the walls, or the roof, or the floor, but finely controlled chaos. At the center of the maelstrom was his mom, Kasumi and his cousin's beautiful wife Mizuho. Young women in aprons race around in the kitchen, an army of workmen labored to repair the damage done by Kodachi yesterday, and outside Nabiki and her new boyfriend Pantyhose Taro were filling up balloons. Even Akane was helping out putting streamers up in the dojo with Sayuri and Yuka helping out. The only one not doing anything, as usual, was Tendo Soun. Affectionately known as the crying man, he was swimming in sake as usual and praising himself for having finally gotten the schools to be joined.

Ranma rolled his eyes at the two baka and headed for what was left of the furo. The workmen had repaired a section of the toilet room so the people in the house could use the facilities when needed. The furo itself was still in shambled so they'd need to use the public bath house down the street. He knew his mom ordered the work crew. They were running around fast getting shattered walls put back up. He didn't know it but his mother had offered a substantial bonus to them if they completed the repairs by the end of the day. Nabiki had nearly had a heart attack when she learned exactly how much that bonus was. He took care of his business and went to find Kasumi.

The future Ms. Saotome was in the kitchen. She wasn't allowed to do much by his mom and Mizuho. After all this was her wedding they were preparing for. They did put her in charge of selecting and taste testing everything being prepared. The smells coming out of there were making Ranma's mouth water. He passed under the noren and stopped to take in the chaotic frenzy. Kasumi appeared next to him in a flash and handed him a plate of items she selected from the menu being prepare for tomorrow's reception. The girls took glances in his direction, most wore expressions of deep envy. He recognized a few of them from school.

"Oh, Ranma-sama," she blushed as she handed him the plate.

"What's all this?" he asked looking over the dish and what he saw made his stomach growl with anticipation.

"Its a sampling of the food for tomorrow's reception," Kasumi smiled as her future husband took a pair of chopsticks she handed to him and tried one of the items.

"Hmmm ... good," he munched.

Yes, all was going so well, so very well. No explosions, no attacks, no "Ranma prepare to die" or anything like that. Which was why the young martial artist suddenly became very nervous. He kissed Kasumi, making the girls whoop and holler, and went out into the dinning room. The fathers were well on their way to being oblivious to the world. There was activity outside to setup for the small wedding and invitation only reception. Kodachi wasn't around and likely wouldn't be for a long time, Cologne and Shampoo weren't a problem, Ryoga was off somewhere on the other side of the planet, Ukyo wouldn't be an issue and if she did start something he'd be the one to finish it. So, why was he feeling nervous? Who was he forgetting?

"I don't get it, maybe its just cold feet." he told himself and sat down with his plate.

"Hey, yuu not tinking bout waaking out ooon my liiitle gurl's weeding ah you, sun?" Soun drawled out in Drunkese. The man gave him what was supposed to be a withering stare but in their condition they looked like they were about to fall over face first.

He scowled at them. "I'd never do that!" he growled and rapidly gobbled up the rest of the plate so he could get away from the two meddling baka. Last thing he needed was for him to think he was having second thoughts about this whole wedding business. Marrying Kasumi was his idea, not theirs. Yet, he still had that lingering feeling of dread in the back of his mind.

"How was it?" he nearly jumped out of skin. Embarrassed, he turned to Kasumi who was at the kitchen door and showed her the empty plate.

She flashed him that beautiful smile that fill him with a warm and fuzzy feeling and said, "That good was it? I asked the girls to put together a bento for you for school today, it'll be done in a few minutes."

He went over and returned the plate to her. "Ok, thanks," he scratched the back of his head nervously. Again, anyone who thought Kasumi was dense and unobservant did not know Tendo Kasumi very well. She could see something was bothering him. She surprised him by grabbing his hand and rushing with him to the wash room just before the toilet and furo. She locked the door behind her and wrapped her arms around him. She was shaking.

"I'm so nervous I don't know what to do with myself," she admitted to him softly. She smiled when she felt him put his arms around her lovingly.

"Everything's going to be alright," he reassured her sensing just how nervous she was as well though his nervousness wasn't over the wedding but something else.

She kissed him gently, just one tiny kiss. This was preceded by a second and soon they were sitting on the floor groping and kissing each other furiously. They finally stopped to take a break, Ranma leaning against the wall and Kasumi sitting between his legs with her back against his chest. He lovingly wrapped his arms around her and held her close. How he wanted to take her right now, how he wanted to feel her soft skin against his, to hear her voice uttering gasp of pleasure, but there would be plenty of time to do that after the wedding and reception tomorrow.

"You're nervous too?" she asked him.

"Yeah, I'm nervous," he admitted. "But not because of that, I wanna marry you Kasumi-chan. I want us to be together forever, but ..."

She felt a chill run down her spine. "But what?" she looked up at him.

He shook his head. "I dunno, I feel like I'm forgetting something or whatever," he wished he could figure this feeling out. He recognized it as his sixth sense or "Warriors' Sense" telling him something wasn't right. All of the major threats to their wedding have been dealt with so why was he feeling so worried. Perhaps it was the thought that he was actually forgetting something that was bothering him.

"You will remember in time and it will probably be nothing more than pre-wedding day jitters." she nuzzled against his chest and wished they could stay like this all day. She was feeling butterflies in her stomach too, but this was something they both wanted. Kasumi searched back in her memories to that day they first made love. They were in a cold, damp cave yet she could remember feeling so warm in his arms. Ranma had been so gentle with her, her arm was still not fully mended. She had long hoped that her first time would be a wonderful experience and it was.

"Maybe," he hoped.

**oOOOo**

A lone figure bounded from roof top to roof top unnoticed by the people below who were now used to seeing roof hopping martial artists. He looked around, it felt good to be home again after so long. The figure stopped when he reach a wide street, he could have easily cleared it, but his keen eyes noticed something interesting. Very interesting, a pair of young girls in mini-skirts walking down the street. A smirk came to his face and with a speed that was inhuman he raced down to where they were. The girls both screamed as a diminutive, wrinkled old man flipped up their skirts and latched onto their chests.

"Hey ladies, lets go on a date!" the creature shouted as they tried to avoid and pummel him at the same time but he was way to swift for them. Eventually they both ran off screaming and clutching their chests. Happosai watched as they ran off, the breeze picking up the back ends of their tiny skirts to reveal the white panties underneath.

"Ah, its good to be home!" he cheered and continued on his journey back to Tendo-ke. He had some business to attend to. First off, pay Ranma back for what he did earlier in the week and then its onto Akane. The old hentai laughed to himself as he jump from roof top to roof top.

**oOOOo**

With bento in hand Ranma made his way to school. He tried not to think to hard about why he felt so apprehensive today. It kind of irked him that he wasn't able to figure out why, but there was no use dwelling on it right now while he had lots of other things to think about. One of those things was the cold, hard fact that he was going to be married tomorrow and not long after he was going to be a father at the age of seventeen. The baby would be coming possibly a few months before his eighteenth birthday. He wasn't so much worried about being a father, Ranma has already made a promise to himself to be a better father than oyagi, but he wondered if the baby was going to be a boy or girl?

Random thoughts, his father often said, were a distraction from possible dangers that surround you. Sometimes the old man did give good advice ... sometimes ... rarely. It was the one lesson that Ranma had taken to heart after being waylaid by enemies and rivals left and right while he was deep in though. Because of this, Ranma was able to the powerful battle aura that was approaching him at incredible speed. At the last second he dodged to the side, leaping off the fence he'd been walking on and alighting to the sidewalk. The object slammed into the fence bending it out of shape and got stuck there. The thing wiggled and struggled to free itself for a few seconds before breaking free and landing on the ground in front of him.

"I knew I was forgetting something," Ranma sighed when he saw whom his attack was.

Happosai stood there rubbing the marks on his face left by the chain link fence and then looked at his target and growled menacingly. Or, at least as menacingly as the little hentai could muster.

"I found you, you little puke!" he roared.

Ranma rolled his eyes at him and asked, "What'd I do this time, you old freak?"

"For too long have I allowed you to get in my way," Happosai growled deep in his throat. "For too long have I allowed you to defeat me at every turn, but no longer, you hear me you little turd, no longer!"

"Yeah, yeah, lets get this over with," Ranma waved dismissively and reverted to a basic fighting stance.

"AT LAST YOU'RE GOING TO FACE DIVINE RETRIBUTION!" the ancient hentai shouted as he launched himself. He would have hit Ranma had he not face faltered right then. Since when did Happosai talk like that blow hard Kuno, he thought to himself.

"HAPPO FIRE BURST!" the lit bomb came flying towards Ranma's face at blinding speed. The young martial artist did what he usually did in a situation like this. He batted it right back at the old man.

BOOM! THUD!

Ranma shook his head at the small mound of blackened hentai laying on the ground emitting gray smoke. "Some divine retribution," he muttered as he picked up his bento and continued onto school. Akane came running up from down the street, saw the "thing" on the ground and smirked with satisfaction.

**oOOOo**

"Damn that little brat!" Happosai sat upon the roof of a house not far from where he'd finally regained consciousness. When he woke he found himself being buried alive by some big dog. It took him some time to get the drool off of him and he smelled like wet dog. To say Happosai was made was the same thing as saying the sky was blue.

"I can't let that him keep doing this to me," he said to himself out loud. "I gotta get that punk brat back somehow, but ever since he came back from China he's gotten insanely powerful."

"I've got to find out what happened in China," he slapped his fist into his palm and raced off towards Tendo-ke. "Someone's got to know. Ah, yeah, Nabiki'll know for sure. Ha ha!"

**oOOOo**

Saotome Genma often said women were a distraction from the art. Little did anyone know, he learned that lesson from watching his sensei. It was because of his torture, I mean training, under his sensei that he realized women were bad news for a martial artists. Sure enough, when Happosai reached Tendo-ke he found the place crowded with beautiful, young women. Screams peeled throughout the house as Happi gleefully went from one girl to the next copping a feel here and squeezing a breast there. Ah, my prayers have been answered, he thought to himself in pure rapture.

"Marie, teleport that creature away from this place! This is a priority one!"

The little hentai didn't know what that meant when he raced towards one of the most beautiful women he'd ever laid his eyes upon. The red head stood in the doorway to the kitchen and held a tiny thing in her hand that resembled a Teletubie from that BBC kids show. Before he could reach that wonderful prize, Happosai felt suddenly weightless and saw bright light surrounding him. He yelped in alarm but it was too late, the scene of the Tendo home around him dissolved away. With a loud plunk he fell straight down and landed in a stinking garbage bin several blocks away.

"What ... the ... hell," he groused after extracting himself from the filth.

"That's my line," came a voice from below and outside of the dumpster. Happosai climbed to the rim and looked down to see a familiar, old wrinkled face starring back up at him.

"How did I get here?" he asked. Cologne shrugged her shoulders and resisted an urge to plug her nose.

Cologne smirked up at him. "If you're looking for underwear you won't find any in that trash bin," she told him. "This is where we throw out leftovers from the Nekohauten." She laughed inwardly, this just had to be the work of Ranma. He probably punted the ancient hentai half way across the city. She wished she could have been there to see that.

Happosai growled, "This is Ranma's doing, I just know it!" He leapt out of the dumpster and landed in front of the ancient Amazon matriarch. Now Cologne plugged her nose, even she wasn't able to handled certain smells and Happosai right now reeked something fierce.

"He gibbing you tubble, Happi?" she asked, her voice was skewed because she was holding her nose tightly closed.

"Go ahead and laugh, you reject from a horror movie," Happosai grumbled.

"At lees I non smell lik yesderday's lunch," she tried not to laugh but it was way too tempting.

Happi stamped his feet in frustration like a child throwing a temper tantrum and cried, "Dammit, dammit, dammit, how did that little puke get so dammed powerful all of a sudden!?"

Cologne let go of her nose, the wind started blowing in the other direction. "You mean you don't know what happened in China?" she asked and really wasn't all that surprised. The ancient hentai master made himself pretty much scarce after the failed wedding of Ranma and Akane. Both young martial artists has the old man on their shit list for a while afterwards. Shampoo herself couldn't get Ranma to say a single word to her for a few weeks until his anger finally calmed down.

"Nobody would tell me," Happosai pouted.

Poor baby, Cologne laughed inwardly. She was loving this, it was about time he ancient hentai finally got what was coming to him. He was discovering that Ranma was not the same young man he was when he left for China little over a year ago. One does not face a GOD, utterly destroy it, and then walk away unchanged. No, Ranma grew in ways even the young martial artist still doesn't understand yet but he soon will. Defeating a foe of such power changes you in many ways, not only just physically or mentally, but in a metaphysical manner. Ranma walked away from that battle in Josendo a changed man in more ways than one. He now had far more in common with Saffron than he'd ever possibly suspect.

I do believe it is time to let Happi know what he's ultimately going up against, Cologne thought to herself.

"Ranma went to China, and fought Prince Saffron of the Phoenix tribe." she explained.

That got his attention. Happosai looked at her with one eyebrow doing a Spock maneuver. "Say what?" he inquired now quite sure he heard her right. Ranma fought Saffron, a godling?

"Saffron had Akane, so Ranma fought him," Cologne went on further in her explanation. "Saffron was in his adult form at the time."

Happosai looked at her like she was lying. "And he walked away alive?" he said incredulously.

"Saffron didn't walk away alive," Cologne tightened the noose she around Happosai's neck with her words. "Ranma didn't just defeat him, he killed him." She wasn't disappointed by the old man's reaction. Happosai looked like he was about to fall over he was in such shock.

"Does ... does he understand what that's done to him?" he asked her. Cologne shook her head no. This certainly explained the boy's sudden massive increase in power.

"Not yet, but someday soon he will learn what happened to him that day and when that day comes may the kami have mercy on any who number themselves among his enemies." she said in a tone that was gravely serious.

"Holy shit," the ancient sensei said with astonishment.

"When one kills a god, you create an imbalance in the universe," Cologne told him in the voice she often used when lecturing Shampoo about something important.

"The universe tries to correct that balance," she want on. "It has not fully yet manifested in Ranma but I sense it within him slowly growing, like a flower just before it blooms."

"And when he blooms ... he'll be a god." said Happosai.

"A godling, technically," she corrected him.

"Same difference!" Happi spat back at her.

Cologne laughed and said, "We will likely all be long dead and buried by the time he finally realizes how much he's changed."

"He'll outlive the both of us a thousand times over," Happosai pouted in realization that his dreams of getting back at the boy were now pretty much impossible.

Cologne looked away with a sad expression. This was something she hadn't thought of before until now. He was going to out live them, but they weren't the only ones he was going to leave behind.

"Immortality demands a hefty price that some might not be willing to pay," she said. Happosai looked up at her questioningly. So he doesn't know about that either? Where has he been this past week?

"He weds tomorrow," she told him. Happosai's eyes suddenly go wide.

"Ranma and Akane are getting hitched!?" he cried in dismay. His hopes of being able to once again grope that beautiful, athletic body of Akane's were suddenly slipping through his fingers. The thought nearly made him fall to the ground sobbing.

"No, Ranma and Kasumi are," she corrected him. The ancient sensei looked at her in wide eyed surprise at this news. He knew about them being lost on a island in the South Pacific together for a while but he didn't think anything would come of it. The idea almost blew him away. Ranma and Kasumi, a married couple?

"She's pregnant and Ranma is the father," Cologne added.

Happosai looked like he was about to faint but steadied himself and then laughed. "Well, he is my disciple," he said proudly. "Looks like a little bit of me actually did rub off onto him after all." He laughed heartily and decided that instead of beating the boy into a quivering mass of jelly he was going step up the young man's training.

"I doubt he'd share that sentiment," Cologne replied knowing Ranma would never admit to being the ancient hentai's student.

Happosai's eyes when wide and he asked, "You said he's getting married when!?"

"Tomorrow at an invitation only ceremony," Cologne explained to him. She had already gotten her invitation, Shampoo's and Mousse's as well. Somehow she didn't think them leaving out Happosai wasn't a legitimate mistake. Maybe she should have kept her mouth shut.

"This won't do," he shouted. "A young man like him can't get married without a bachelor party!" Before Cologne could say anything the old sensei sprinted off and took to the rooftops. The ancient Amazon swore to herself and realized she'd just made a huge mistake. Quickly she ran into the Nekohauten and grabbed the phone. She had to call the Tendo clan right now and let them know what Happosai had planned.

**oOOOo**

To be continued in the 8th and final chapter!

"The Little Dragon of Nerima" is not the sequel, but will be a side story about Ranma and Kasumi's son.

The sequel to ANDT will be:

"Another New Direction Taken"

Konatsu was never allowed to explore his manhood. Raised as a Kunoichi, Konatsu was treated like a girl and forced to dress as a girl. That all changed when Ranma and Ukyo freed him from his step sisters and he came to work in Ukyo's Okonomiyaki. Free from their influence, the male Kunoichi began to explore his manhood and what it is like to be a man. This included an exploration of his feelings, especially towards the cross dressing, spatula toting martial artist who was both his friend and employer. One day he finally worked up the courage to admit his feelings to Ukyo, but she misunderstood what he was trying to say.

"I love you too, Konatsu," she replied to him. "You're like a little sister to me."

Heartbroken and discouraged, Konatsu realizes that he doesn't really know anything about how to be a man at all otherwise Ukyo would feel differently about him. Perhaps, he decides, I shouldn't try to be a man at all. Thus begins a journey into Konatsu's heart, Ukyo's confused feelings, and the love of two newlyweds who rush to chase a dear friend all the way to the cursed springs in China in the hopes of averting what they see as a terrible mistake. Intermingled with the main storyline will be glimpses into the growing relationship between Nabiki and Taro, Kei and Mizuho's marriage, Akane's discovery of love after Ranma, and more.


	8. Chapter 8

Copyright Viz Communications © 2007, copyright Kitty Films © 2007, copyright Rumiko Takahashi © 2007. All Rights Reserved. Written for fan appreciation only.

**oOOOo**

Michael "TheZorch" Haney's

"A New Direction Taken"

Inspired by Adrian D. Moten's "Kasumi 1/2"

**oOOOo**

**Chapter 8**

The rain came down in heavy sheets and the sky was a depressing gray. Perhaps they were reflecting the heart of one person who was standing in the midst of all this with just an umbrella to keep him dry. It really didn't matter to him if he got wet or not. Except for a certain problem which occurred when he got wet, but that stopped being annoying a long time ago. It was now just an accepted part of his life. It also wasn't like he'd catch a cold either, he couldn't get a cold, he couldn't get sick, and he couldn't die. Yet, death was foremost on his mind right now.

Saotome Ranma ignored the chill of the wind and the sound of the rain. All that existed for him were his memories ... so many memories. In his hand was a single red rose. They'd been her favorite flowers. This one came from the same garden she once tended and nurtured with loving care. Slowly he bent down and laid it at the foot of her gravestone. Today was their anniversary, he still had their wedding ring. Ranma wore it on a necklace so it would always be close to his heart. He missed her, even after all these years he still missed her. It had been eighty years since she passed away at the ripe old age of ninety-seven. He was now well over one hundred, yet he didn't look much older than twenty-one.

"They still bloom this time of year," he said to the spirit of his departed wife. No answer came, he really didn't expect one. He knew she was no longer here on this world.

"The house is still much the same," the continued while brushing a few dead leaves off the gravestone. "Though you really wouldn't recognize much of the neighborhood now. Ours is the only original building left in Nerima-ku, the rest are all new prefabs. They finished tearing up the last of the streets and replaced them with green-ways with grass and trees and flower gardens. You would've really liked it."

Ranma laughed, "They put another statue of me up not long ago. That makes five so far. You'd think I was someone important or something." He became very serious suddenly and touched the face of his beloved sculptured in a bust of marble. It captured her in all of her youthful beauty, and though she had grown old and gray before time had come to claim her in his eyes she was still that beautiful young woman he loved and married so long ago.

"I miss you, Kasumi-chan." he said softly.

"Lord Saotome," someone behind him said in a respectful tone.

He turned around to regard the young man standing behind him. "I'm done here," said Ranma. Without a further word he walked past the young man and headed for the cemetery exit.

"The delegation from the American Empire will arrive in four hours," the young man said as he caught up to Ranma. "The emperor is wondering if you still plan to attend the reception. He says they appear to be anxious to meet you."

Ranma sighed, "Tell him not to worry, I'm still coming. I made a promise and I always keep them."

"Hai," the young man nodded respectfully. "I'll make certain he is informed. Also, you wanted me to remind you that your great great granddaughter will be sending you a message at approximately 6 am."

Ranma smiled when he thought of her. She was the spitting image of his long deceased wife, right down to her sweet and gentle demeanor. "Yeah, I'm interested in hearing how things are going on Mars," he said.

They approached what looked like a limousine without wheels. The young man opened the rear door for Ranma. After he settled himself in the back seat the young man closed the door and took the rear facing seat in front of him. "The reception will begin in four hours, where would you like to go, sir?" he asked.

"Home," nodding the young man gave the instruction to the driver before raising the privacy window. The vehicle vibrated slightly as the anti-gravity system became active. The view of the cemetery through the windows dropped as the limo lifted into the gray, sorrowful sky.

"Lord Ranma, may I inquire something?" Ranma nodded.

"I do not comprehend why you continue to return to this place despite the fact that doing so causes you such emotional distress." Ranma scratched his head while trying to think of an answer to that.

He finally replied, "Maybe, its because I can't let go."

"Of the memory of your wife?" the young man asked.

Ranma nodded, "She's been gone for so long, but my memory of her is still so fresh, like I only lost her a few weeks ago."

"Perhaps I still do not completely understand humans," the young man looked uncertain.

Ranma laughed, "Don't feel too bad, most humans don't understand humans either, Konatsu."

Konatsu looked uncertain. "I endeavor to understand humans better, so I might serve you in a greater capacity as is my function."

"You have net access, there's tons of papers on human psychology out there." Ranma explained.

Konatsu nodded, "Yes, I do, within the past hour I processed over two thousand, five hundred and eighty three dissertations on human psychology, and one thousand, two hundred and eight clinical papers on the same subject."

"Yet, you still don't understand humans even after all that?" Ranma asked.

Konatsu replied, "You're earlier statement seems to hold true, as I found ninety percent of the papers conflicted each other. My logical processes are unable to rely on the information as accurate."

"Ok, Mr. Data," Ranma joked. "I think you're over analyzing things a bit. What do you know about love?"

Konatsu looked like he was thinking for a moment. "Love is the most powerful of all human emotions," he replied. "It can be a source of great joy and great sorrow for humans. Love can often drive humans to act in a manner that is quite irrational, and sometimes even self-destructive. Love can also override the human instinct for self-preservation. The twentieth century American science fiction author Robert A. Heinlein said this of love; "it is that condition in which the happiness of another person is essential to your own"."

Ranma shrugged and gestured toward the robot. "Based on all that, what does it tell you about me?"

Konatsu replied, "Your love for your deceased wife has not diminished in the many decades since her passing. You loved her so much that if it had been possible you would have given up your own existence so that she might live. However, you were unable to save her, thus you have what is classically called Survivor's Guilt."

Ranma smiled at the robot, tears welling in his eyes. "Maybe you understand us better you might think."

**oOOOo**

Had any of the original family lived to see Tendo-ke as it was now none of them would recognize it. The small plot of land which the house and dojo stood on had been expanded upon over the years. Some of the acquisitions were made by Nabiki many decades ago, and some were made by Ranma himself. Much of the block where Tendo-ke sat now comprised the entirety of the current compound. Surrounding the walled family land was a sea of uniform, prefabricated homes. Ranma paid little attention to the landscape as the limo touched down in a paved landing area near the main house and dojo. They looked completely unchanged, seemingly untouched by time, but that was only their outer appearance. Beneath the familiar facade the house and dojo were modern structures. What looked like wood was actually an artificial wood alternative, since the lumber industry went extinct after the global ban on harvesting trees went into effect decades ago, and the clay roof tiles were light-weight carbon fiber designed to recycle rainwater for household use.

Leaving the limo, Ranma passed Kasumi's rose garden. It was still in the same place where it had been when she was still alive. A small row of stones on one edge of the garden was the only remnants of the original wall that surrounded Tendo-ke in those days. He paused to admire the bright red flowers in their full bloom. He envisioned Kasumi, her delicate hands moving slowly, tending to the blossoming bushes with the same love and care she gave to her family. Banishing the vision Ranma went to the house and kicked off his shoes at the genkan just inside the front door. The running patter of little feet was the only warning he received. He caught the speeding blur, it giggled and stretched out a pair of of tiny arms which hugged him with surprising strength.

"Grandpa!" the little girl in his arms covered his face with tiny kisses. She was a beautiful child. Ranma had remarked once to her parents that they'd have to beat the boys off with cattle prods when she started junior high. Her hair was honey brown and waist long, her large curious eyes were the same bright blue as his. She wore a short white dress with an animated OLED print of Hello Kitty doing a cute dance on the front. She looked almost exactly like Kasumi did when she was a little girl.

"Ushio-chan, what did I say about rushing at great great grandfather like that?" A young woman of about sixteen stood in the front room by the stairs. She bore some resemblance to Akane, before her unfortunate haircut, and wore a frilly apron covering her Furinken uniform and held a ladle in one hand. It wasn't the same long, blue and white dress that the girls wore in Akane's time. Like most of the other Tokyo schools Furinken switched to a shorter seifuku with a blue skirt, blue blouse, and a white ribbon. She wore long thigh length stockings to complete the look.

Ranma smirked at her. "Leave her alone Narue, its not like I'm a feeble old man."

The teenager folder her arms over her small bosom. "Honestly, you spoil her way too much."

"Well, that's what great great granddad's do, isn't it Ushio-chan?" The three year old nodded before shooting her big sister a red-eye raspberry. Ranma laughed, kissed the little girl on the cheek and set her down. Before Narue could say any more the tiny girl became a blur dashing towards the family room down the opposite hall. The only thing Ranma could see of her was her trailing long hair and flashing calves.

Konatsu deposited his shoes at the genkan and went to the stairs. "If you excuse me, Lord Saotome, I will go upstairs and lay out your tuxedo for tonight." Ranma nodded.

"That's right, you have that thing at the imperial palace tonight," Narue remembered.

"Yeah, I promised I'd be there," replied Ranma. "Some big wigs from the American Empire are supposed to be there, or so the emperor told me." They went to the family room where Ushio was playing with a small fox with three tails. Warming themselves at the kotetsu table were a young teenaged boy in the dark blue military style gakuran worn by boys at Furinken High School, an elderly woman dressed in a black and white kimono, and a young boy about twelve years old who wore a black samurai hamaka. He was working with a thin slate tablet device.

"Hello, great great grandfather," the young boy said respectfully.

"How was your trip to the cemetery?" the elderly woman asked.

As soon as Ranma sat at the table Ushio climbed into his lap. "Uneventful," he said. "Kasumi-chan always liked the rain. She often said the sound it made was very calming, and it helped her flowers grow."

He regarded the young boy. "So, how's things with you Kei?"

The young boy paused what he was doing with the tablet. "I have nearly completed my latest design, " Kei replied. "This one will be far more efficient at desalinating sea water than previous methods. Instead of processing ten thousand gallons of sea water an hour this will process fifty thousand gallons a minute. Its to be presented to the board of directors in a few weeks. I've already set aside the funding for research and development so getting a prototype built and ready to present to investors in time for the next CES will not be a problem." Ranma smiled at the young genius. One of his earliest inventions was buried under the house, a prototype molten salt thorium fluoride reactor that was ten times more efficient and safer than previous designs. Electrical grids were a thing of the past as every house now had its own means to generate power. The Great Blackout of 2013 in America caused by a domestic right-wing terrorist attack eventually led to the elimination of vulnerable electrical power grids and the adoption of alternative power like hydrogen fuel cells and later safe, miniature nuclear power plants to power homes and businesses. Fusion and anti-matter power was still too expensive for the consumer market.

"You've got an interesting family, Saotome-san." said Narue's boyfriend. The teenager in the Furinken uniform.

"Sasuke, I thought I said you can just call me Ranma," Ranma reminded him.

Sasuke scratched the back of his head nervously. "That really wouldn't be very polite of me, I'm not even a member of the family, yet."

"You have plenty of time before you and Narue-chan get married," the elderly woman commented. "Enjoy your youth while you still have it." The teen blushed and the sound of a pan clattering to the floor echoed from the kitchen. She smiled just imagining the bright third degree blush that must now be painted on the young girl's face. Teenagers were so easy to tease.

"Sixty-three percent of marriages in Japan end in divorce," Kei deadpanned while not looking away from his tablet computer. "I intend to stay single. Makes life less of a hassle."

Ranma reached over and ruffled up his hair which annoyed the young genius. "You might be a technical genius but there are some things you still don't know yet."

Narue ducked under the noren curtain at the kitchen doorway and asked, "Is everyone ready for some tea?"

"Yes, please, dear," the elderly woman smiled.

"Ok, Auntie Kaede," the teenage girl vanished and quickly returned with a large tray with a tea service and several cups. She served Kaede first then Sasuke, then finally Ranma and Kei. Ushio climbed off Ranma's lap and sat next to him as Narue sat a cup of iced tea in front of her.

Narue waved a finger at the child. "No turning great great grandfather into a girl," she commanded.

"Ok," the little girl piped as she took a long sip.

Konatsu returned to the family room and knelled down next to Ranma. "Sir, I just received an update," the robot whispered. "The time of the reception has been moved back one hour, and I am told Queen Alexandria of Euro-England will be in attendance. The emperor would like it if you could arrive early so you can talk before the reception begins."

Ranma sighed, downed his tea, and looked mournfully towards the kitchen. The smell of one of Narue's world-class lunches wafted in the air. She'd inherited Akane's good looks, but thankfully not her cooking skills. "The true path of a martial artist is fraught with peril," he voiced one of his father's old quotes.

"The price of being so famous," said Kei.

"Its my second of three curses," Ranma replied. "You'll all probably be in bed by the time I get home tonight, so don't wait up." Konatsu followed him as he left and headed for the stairs.

Sasuke scratched his head and asked, "The first two I can understand, but what is this third one he's talking about?"

Kaede looked in the direction Ranma had left with sad eyes. "That one I think should be plenty obvious just by looking at him," she replied.

**oOOOo**

Nabiki had married into the Kuno clan. It had been, to Ranma, Akane, and Kasumi, one of the most unlikely of relationships, but surprisingly it worked out well. As a result Nabiki sent money home to supplement what Ranma made from his odd jobs, which went towards some badly needed renovations. One of these was the conversion of Nabiki's old room into a second furoba and toilet area, along with all of the structural reinforcements such a thing would require. It was connected to Ranma and Kasumi's room and Akane's room. The small toilet area was accessible via the door in the hallway and an inner door in the furoba itself. The tub was just big enough for three people, but wasn't nearly as large as the first floor tub which could accommodate about four to four and a half. The washing area was a little smaller also, and there was only one shower head in the room rather than two like downstairs.

These days only Ranma used the upper floor of Tendo-ke. Akane's old room was kept vacant, her belongings were left exactly where she last left them the night she passed away in her sleep at the age of eighty three. Konatsu did all of the cleaning on the second floor. Rarely did anyone else go upstairs except Keade. This was Ranma's domain. His Fortress of Solitude, one of the rare places on the earth where he could be alone to think. Kaede stayed in Soun's old bedroom on the first floor. Happosai's old room was turned into a library and den. The rest of the family lived in another house which was build further down the other end of the large family plot. They'd all get together every night in the old family home for dinner and sometimes lunch, but at night they returned to their own home. The family gave Ranma the space he needed. Part of it was also for their own protection. Ranma had made some very powerful enemies over the years, and on rare occasions they came calling at night. They knew better than to mess with his family though. Not since one kidnapped his great granddaughter, Narue and Ushio's mother. What Ranma did to him still gives many of his enemies nightmares.

He shared something in common with the old amine character Ikari Shinji. Memories often came to him in the bath, some of them bad, but he had a lot of good memories in that room as well. Often he didn't stay in the bath for very long. It was large and lonely. Not having anyone to share it with made it so. He couldn't bring himself to start something serious with anyone. Not because he was still too dedicated to the memory of Kasumi, but because he knew that one day she'd be taken away from him eventually. Ranma had lovers, on nearly every continent, but he would not marry any of them. They could spend the rest of their lives with him, but he couldn't spend the rest of his life with them. It was his price for having killed a god to save the life of the woman he loved.

After drying himself off Ranma retreated to his room to get dressed. On the dresser, in a clear plastic case which had turned yellow with age, was the silk rose he'd given Kasumi on the night of the senior prom at Furinken. They were married by this point, and she was swollen with child, but Kasumi still insisted on going out on the dance floor. She could only do the slow dances, of course. To Ranma it had been the most wonderful night of their relationship together. Being good to his word, Ranma didn't get in the way when Akane found another. Their relationship didn't last very long, only a week, just long enough for her to go to the prom with the young man. He didn't go to Furinken, but another school nearby. When Ranma asked what happened, she said, "you're a tough act to follow." Akane had two more relationships, and they ended just as quickly. Nobody, it seemed, could measure up to the man whom she really loved. She spent the rest of her life being content as the other woman.

He looked at the bed where Konatsu had laid out his good tuxedo. A glint of light caught his eye. It was his wedding band on its chain, neatly laid out for him to put back on after his bath. Flashes of memories flooded his mind and he had to grab the bedpost to keep from falling. There were so many memories in this room. Mostly good ones, and some not so good. He slept here, but often not peacefully. That was why he traveled so much, so he wouldn't have to sleep here, but he could never bring himself to get rid of the bed or change the room. He left the décor just as Kasumi had left it. Ranma took a portrait of Kasumi from the nightstand, one taken just after she gave birth to their son Ichigo. He clutched it to his chest as he sank to his knees and the tears came unabated. The years didn't dull his memory of her, he could remember her as if he only saw her yesterday. As he sobbed quietly the memories returned...

**oOOOo**

The dojo was filled with friends and family. The guest list for the wedding was kept at a minimum. Ranma didn't want to repeat of the failed wedding with Akane. Cologne and his mother sat together, sobbing and handing each other tissue. Hinako-sensei was the only member of the Furinken faculty to be invited to the wedding. The diminutive teacher cried sharing tissues with Nodoka and Cologne. Ukyo sat close to Konatsu who held her protectively. Ranma had seen them sharing brief kisses. He was glad to see she was moving on and he considered Konatsu more than worthy a guy for her. Shampoo only stayed until the music began, then she ran out of the dojo sobbing. Ranma nodded to Mousse, who stood at the front as part of the ceremony and the myopic martial artist went after her. Ryoga stood in as his best man, and to Ranma's surprise he accepted the role. He stood somber and quiet. It must have taken a great deal of will power for him to keep his anger under check. He knew why Ranma was marrying Kasumi and not Akane, and for her sake he remained civil. Happosai sat next to Cologne and was unusually quite and well behaved. Even Kuno Tatawaki was being peaceful and somber in his formal hamaka, his retainer Sasuke sobbed next to him. They insisted on attending to wish the two good luck in the wake of what Kodachi had tried to do. She was currently heavily sedated in the mental ward at Toudai University Hospital. Kei and Mizuho sat together, hands clasped tightly. Akane sat with Nabiki on either side of Dr. Tofu. The two girls were crying and the good doctor did his best to consul them. Then, the music began, the doors at the far end of the dojo opened and on Soun's arm floated an angel.

Kasumi never looked more beautiful than she did at that moment. They had compromised on the style of the wedding, going for a mix of traditional Japanese and Western. She wore her mother's white wedding kimono, the one she had worn during the unfortunate incident involving Happosai and a deck of cursed cards. For his credit, Soun didn't cry, not one bit as he lead Kasumi down the aisle towards the far end of the dojo where Ranma and the priest waited. His mom had done her makeup, it was very light. She was the kind of girl who didn't need a lot of makeup to look beautiful. Her long honey brown hair was done up in a neat traditional bun. As they drew nearer each other he could see the tears welling up in her eyes. Not from sadness, but joy.

Neither really heard the priest. So lost were they in each others eyes the rest of the world seemed to be tuned out, leaving only themselves. Soon it came time for them to exchange voes. This was the part where Ranma was most nervous. He wasn't good at writing these kinds of things. He was the kind of guy who into sappy stuff, but being with Kasumi had that kind of effect on a person. She was worth it, and he'd do anything for her. Another part of him was afraid, afraid that someone or something would come and interrupt the wedding. He tensed himself, ready to spring into action to grab Kasumi to protect her against any possible threats. If someone or something did come and try to sabotage their wedding, may the kami have mercy on their souls, because Ranma would show them none.

Kasumi watched him with expectant, loving eyes. He met her gaze, found strength in those loving eyes and the words he wanted to say came to him. They weren't the words he stayed up late the night before writing, these were written on his heart.

"Kasumi-chan," she nodded and smiled. "I ain't the best at this sorta thing. I ain't a poet, or flowery speaker like Kuno is. And I know I ain't really worthy of you, but I know deep inside that I love you. I love you so much sometimes it hurts, and I've never felt this way with anybody before. There ain't nothing I wouldn't do for you, I'd swim ten thousand miles, naked in a sea of broken glass just to be near you. I'd fight ten thousand Saffrons to save you. Just to look in your eyes I'd fight the whole damn world if I had to. I don't know how good a husband I'll be, and I don't know how good a dad I'll be either, but for you I'll do anything, be anything just to make you happy."

Tears came to her eyes unabated now. Ranma waited patiently for her as Akane came and brought her a tissue. After wiping her eyes Kasumi back into his and in them he could see her determination and love.

"Ranma-kun, when we first met I never imagined that one day we would be standing here like this," she began. "I was confused, even then, and not really certain what I wanted. I wasn't even certain what to make of you, but in time I came to know you better. Then, that faithful day came and we became stranded on that island in the middle of nowhere. For the first time I saw the real you. I saw the true Ranma. He is a kind, passionate, loving, caring person. A part of me fell in love with you long before our time alone. That made me realize just how much in love with you I really was, and I finally realized what it was I'd been looking for all this time. What I want more than anything is to be by your side, through the good times and the bad. What I've been looking for had been right there in front of me these past two years. What I want is you. You say you don't think you're worthy of me, but its me who doesn't believe I'm worthy of you. Yet, I want this more than anything. I want to be your wife, your love. You are the world to me and my life would be meaningless without you."

In a haze the "I dos" came, neither wanted to look away from the other. Neither heard the loud cheer as they kissed, or saw the embarrassing happy dance their fathers did together. Friends from school were invited to the reception after the service. The chairs were moved and tables brought in. Food prepared by Cologne, Nodoka, Ukyo and the neighbors were carried in. The DJ was from the Furinken AV club. Hiroshi and Daisuke danced with their girlfriends Yuka and Sayori. His mom and Cologne were both crying. The party lasted well into the night, and for a brief time it was the happiest moment in Ranma and Kasumi's lives.

**oOOOo**

Ranma had never been a fan of official state functions. He didn't like having people faun all over him. The old Ranma would have rejoiced in it, though. Back then he had an ego bigger than Godzilla. Nowadays he enjoyed solitude, or the company of his family. Usually it just him and Keade in Tendo-ke, except around dinner time when most of the clan gathered together. He liked things calm, a huge contrast to what his life had been like only a few decades ago. Those had been some wild times, then when the kids got older the adventures they had could give filmmakers more material than they could ever use in a lifetime. Life calmed down considerably after a while, the kids got married and started families of their own, and soon it was just him and Kasumi and Akane alone in Tendo-ke for the longest time. Keade didn't start living with him until after Kasumi passed away. He was able to fight youkai, youma, and super-human martial artists, but when it came to household chores he pretty helpless.

My how time flies, Ranma thought to himself.

"I often wonder about the place it is you go when you get like that," the voice pulled him from his revery. The reception had finally wound down after several hours. All of the international dignitaries had long since left to return to their hotel suites or had gone straight to the airport to start the journey home.

The current reining Emperor of Japan regarded him with a look of concern. It wasn't often one could make the claim of being close personal friends with royalty, but that was the relationship the two of them had. It was a relationship born out of strife and conflict. The country had been in trouble, the JSDF tried their best, but the towering beast once thought long dead proved too much for them. However, it wasn't too much for a young martial artist with the powers of a kami. Ranma wasn't able to kill the giant, radioactive fire breathing monstrosity, but he terrified it enough that it ran off with its tail between its legs all the way back to Infant Island. Godzilla never showed his scaly face in Japan ever again after that.

"I was just remembering the old days," Ranma said.

"That Queen Alexandria was an interesting woman," the elderly emperor smirked. Ranma rolled his eyes, the young queen had groped his butt more than once during the reception. It was a bit unseemly for a monarch to flirt so openly, but she was still rather young and inexperienced. By far she was the youngest queen in British history at just barely over the age of sixteen. Normally someone so young wouldn't have been crowned at such a young age, but the country had needed stability. A reining queen on the throne would instill in the people a sense of confidence that everything was going to be alright. The Euro-Asian War had just ended, France, Spain, and Portugal were now a part of the United Kingdom since their economies and governments had collapsed. Israel, Iran and Saudi Arabia were dividing up what was left of the Middle East while the Russian Republic acted as mediator to prevent yet another conflict from breaking out. The fight had been over oil, or what oil was left. Nobody had wanted to believe that the Middle Eastern oil fields could ever run out, but that's what happened, and when the prices went through the ceiling and then into high orbit it was only a matter of time before fighting broke out. Politicians in the UK had already foreseen this coming, and so they embraced green technology. Most of the rest of the world did as well. The United States didn't fair so well though, corporate greed and a severely busted patent and copyright system devastated their economy, but after a short six month Second Civil War they finally sprang back. However, China had taken their place as the top economic power in the world, second only to Japan which lead the world in green technology. Alexandria had been crowned queen in that turbulent time, and though the position was only a figure head with no real policy making authority the country still needed her on the throne to give the nation stability. She was young, inexperienced, and a bit naive but she was very intelligent.

"Not sure if "interesting" is a good enough word for it," Ranma scratched the back of his head.

The old emperor laughed. "Well, a lot of people were interested in meeting you. They all wanted to meet the man who frightened Gojira so badly he won't leave Infant Island."

Ranma rubbed his face, the fight had been a long time ago, but he remembered the pain. He regenerated at an incredible rate, but he was so sore for a month after the battle he could barely move. Kasumi and Akane had to feed and sponge bath him he was so bad off. "Hey, that wasn't an easy fight, that big lizard hits harder than Ryoga and the old freak ever did."

"That was a long time ago," the old man had a nostalgic expression. "I was only a young man at the time, new to the responsibility of being emperor. So much has happened since then."

Ranma laughed, "At least we didn't get caught up in that mess in Europe."

"That wouldn't have been pleasant, I agree." the emperor nodded.

He regarded his deceptively young friend with a grandfatherly smiled. "How are doing these days? Its been relatively quiet so we haven't seen much of one another for a while." Ranma frowned, it had been quiet lately, almost too quiet. While he did like the calmer life after having had so much chaos in his earlier days, it did bothered him some. Back in the day, when it got quiet for a long, it usually mean the shit thrower was armed and ready to target the fan at any minute.

"I put out little brush fires here and there, but nothing major," Ranma replied. "What little the Sailor Senshi don't handle I end up dealing with, but there haven't been any major youma sightings for a while. Dispersing evil spirits and poltergeists is about all I do nowadays." He sometimes felt like he should be driving around in old ambulance with a no-ghosts sign emblazoned on the sides. Maybe he should run around in his cursed form dressed as a miko for now on, he'd fit the part better that way.

"And your home life?"

"Still the same, quiet and peaceful, no major problems." That was where he really liked it quiet. The last thing Ranma wanted was turmoil in the clan. He'd seen clans with lots of infighting and how it torn them apart. He wanted non of that for his family.

"That's good to hear," the emperor smiled. "My youngest just got married a few months ago, wish you could have been there. He asked where you where and Konatsu said you were out of town at the time."

A young maid arrived and served the pair some tea. She looked at Ranma, blushing profusely, before going back into the imperial residence. "I was in China, Prince Herb was having trouble with some local oni and needed my help. Another one of those brush fires I mentioned." Ranma sipped his tea, he noticed under the cup a small slip of paper with a phone number on it. The emperor was a wise old codger, he noticed how the maid had acted and saw the slip of paper under the cup before Ranma did. He smiled at the antics of the young. Well, Ranma wasn't technically young, but he still looked the part.

"She's young and naive, don't steal her innocence away too quickly my old friend." Ranma could see the old man's eyes smiling.

"How old is she anyway, fifteen, sixteen?" Ranma guessed based on how she looked. The old man smiled in reply.

"You old pervert," Ranma smirked.

"I learned from the best," the emperor regarded him with a Cheshire Cat grin.

They both busted out laughing and spent the rest of the night just reminiscing about the good old day. It was nearly morning when Ranma and Konatsu stepped out of the limo back at Tendo-ke. He stopped by Kasumi's rose garden, he could still feel her presence, then went inside. He got to his room just in time to receive the message from Mars. His great great granddaughter had inherited his cursed side's good looks. Of course, his cursed side looked like his mother when she was just a teenager. The message ended and he smiled, everything seemed to be going well for her there in the fledgling colony. He quickly readied for bed, who knew what the rest of the day would bring and even he needed his sleep. As he drifted off he thought about Kasumi, the old days, all the wonderful memories that they made in this room. It seemed like so long ago. He missed her so much, he missed Akane too. Before long he was asleep and dreamed.

**oOOOo**

Time stops for no one, except for one young man. For him, decades seem to pass in the blink of an eye. He watched as his great great grandchildren grew up, started families of their own, then grew old and gray. One might think that he should emotionally distance himself from the family, to avoid the pain of loosing those he loves, but his family was important to him. While watching them grow old and gray was painful, he wouldn't give up the fleeting time he had with them for anything in the world. Perhaps being with them kept him from going insane. In every one of them he could see Kasumi's legacy, at least one daughter in each generation grew up to look like her. It was comforting to know that a part of her still lived on in the clan.

Still, he never remarried. He had lovers, an almost never ending stream of willing young women, but he wouldn't commit. It was one thing to stay with the family and watch over them as they grew old, but to commit his feelings that deeply to someone he had to watch grew old and eventually die was too much. Because of Kasumi he had developed a very healthy appreciation for sex, almost an addiction, and his inhuman endurance meant he didn't have to stop except when his partner was just too worn out to continue. His bouts in the bed were the stuff of legends online. The lovers in his life had formed a private social network. They knew why he wouldn't marry any of them, it had come out in their discussions. The reason was pretty obvious, everyone knew he was immortal.

That he was a kami.

The clan still lived in Nerima, but the place was very different now. The prefab homes grew old and were replaced by new construction. The plot of land owned by the clan expanded to cover a larger area of several thousand acres. Most of what used to be the town of Nerima was now owned by the clan. Only a small part of old Nerima was a mixed residential and commercial area populated by condos. Land values in all areas bordering the Saotome clan's land skyrocketed. The clan itself only occupied a small area, though. Tendo-ke still stood, it was a completely new building by this time. It was a recreation of the past recreation, but with new materials and technologies. Kasumi's rose garden was still in the same place. The homes of the other clan members were closer than they were in decades past, and the itself clan was much larger now. So much so that they couldn't come together in Tendo-ke anymore for dinner, but used the old dojo instead. A kitchen had been installed in the dojo, since it long ago stopped being used as a dojo. For a time it had been used for storage. Ranma simply couldn't safely practice in the dojo anymore, which was why the clan needed so much open land. Hearing loud explosions, seeing bright flashes of light, and feeling the ground shake in and around the Saotome property was common when Ranma was out practicing. The landscape out in the middle of his practice area looked like the surface of the moon, pockmarked with craters and scorched black by his use of his powers. Powers which grew stronger as the decades progressed.

Japan was no longer a sovereign, independent nation but a part of a single, united world. There were only a handful of holdout nations left, and some of them were already talking about joining the global community. The world government was not like any that had ever been seen before in the past. In a world where everyone could make their voices heard via the faster-than-light wireless Internet, politicians were pretty much obsolete. The people voted on everything, they made all of the decisions, and the day to day operations of the government based on those decisions was left up to a series of powerful sentient quantum computers. Paper pushers and bureaucrats were also a thing of the past. Government was fast, efficient, fair, and an even balance between socialist and democratic ideals. Everyone benefited from shared prosperity, homelessness was almost extinct, so was hunger and poverty. The people had unprecedented freedoms and enjoyed many rights and privileges. How much money you had did not matter anymore. What mattered was your knowledge and your skills. People worked to better themselves rather than focusing on material gain. Working yourself to death just to make ends meet was a distant memory. It was a whole new world now. A better world, yet despite the many positive advancements it still wasn't a perfectly safe world. It was not a utopia by any stretch of the imagination.

Konatsu, his eighth incarnation, watched patiently as Ranma came into sight. Trailing behind him was a squad of very exhausted soldiers in heavy powered armor. Youma attacks were becoming more commonplace and the Sailor Senshi couldn't be everywhere at once. Security forces had to band together in large groups and hit them with everything they had to take them down. Ranma could fight them barehanded with ease. After a time the enemy would retreat if it was even suspected that he was in the area. Sometimes they wouldn't retreat, which is what happened today. These attacks were starting to get very annoying, and the one thing you never do is annoy Ranma. Not if you intended to live long.

"I take it things went well, sir?" the human-like, bio-synthetic life form known as Konatsu bowed.

Ranma looked back at the soldiers as they wearily climbed into their waiting transport. "It could have gone better, but at least nobody was killed this time." Repair drones were already moving into the damaged part of the city. In a few hours the buildings would be restored and all signs of the furious battle would be gone. The sky was filled with drones doing sweeps for anyone injured. A few could be seen carrying away the more seriously injured victims of the youma attack. Nanotech and cellular regeneration technology would have them back on their feet in a day.

"That is always good to hear," Konatsu smiled.

The young looking martial artist/kami regarded his old friend with a smile. Though the body was new, the mind of Konatsu was the same. Ranma preserved the original machine intelligence every time he needed to have a new body when the old one could no longer be repaired. This new body was self-regenerating, and would likely last for thousands of years. His eyes strayed to a flower shop across the street behind Konatsu. It was on the other side of the police barricades that had been put up before the fighting started.

"Head on home without me, I'll be there in a little while." he patted Konatsu on the shoulder and walked past him. Konatsu knew where his master was going and why, he didn't have to ask. He'd served Ranma long enough to know what today was.

**oOOOo**

"Happy birthday Kasumi-chan,"

Ranma laid a red rose at the foot of Kasumi's headstone. It was her three hundred and seventieth birthday, and he never missed a single day. He came and brought a rose to her grave on her birthday, and on their wedding anniversary. On the anniversary of the day she passed away he'd spend the time looking through old photo albums. The original pictures had long since decayed, but the digital versions were still accessible.

He gently touched the cheek of her stone bust and imagined her blushing the way she always did when he touched her like that. As always there was no reply. Kasumi's spirit didn't dwell on Earth.

"The clan is doing really well," he whispered. "The family business has expanded, Nabiki would love that. There are branch offices on Mars, Europa and Titan, and there's talk of opening up offices on some of the outer world colonies. Yue, she looks so much like you, is living on Gliese 581c now with her husband. Your rose garden is still in the same place you left it. Konatsu has been tending it. He does a good job. I killed some more youma today, that makes twenty this week. I hope Pluto and Mercury can find out where these things are coming from so I can put a stop to it. Other than that, everything is fine."

He signed, closing his eyes. "I miss you," he turned away and was about to leave but something made him stop in his tracks. A few rows down he saw a woman and an adorable little girl who could be no more than three years old praying at a headstone. The little girl opened her eyes and looked at him, straight at him, and he felt a jolt of recognition deep down in his soul. He nearly wept right then and there, but he resisted the urge and just smiled a broader, happier smile than he'd ever done in centuries. He knew that this day would eventually come, but he wasn't expecting it to happen so soon, nor for it to happen here in the Nerima.

She was back. Kasumi had been reincarnated as someone else. He was happy for her.

**oOOOo**

Nearly the entire clan had showed up for dinner in the clan dinning hall, formerly known as the Tendo dojo. It was a rarity for that many to show up all at once. The table had been crowded, but thankfully there was more than enough for everyone. When dinner was finally over and everyone said their goodbyes one by one Ranma remained in his seat, at the head of big kotetsu table. He was still head of the clan after all. A few of the younger children were still eating and talking about the newest net games. One of the elder women of the clan, Haruhi, sat next to him enjoying some after dinner tea. She lived with him in Tendo-ke in the downstairs bedroom. It was something of a clan tradition for one of the elder grandmothers or aunts to live with him in the old house. A tradition started by Keade so long ago. People lived a lot longer now than they did back in Keade's time. Haruhi was well over ninety-five, but didn't look a day over thirty. The average lifespan for humans thanks to genetic engineering and nanotechnology was nearly two hundred years.

"Its rare to have this many of the clan show up for dinner at one time," Ranma commented.

Haruhi smiled. "Yes, especially with so many traveling off-world." Space travel was as commonplace as air travel had been back in Kasumi's time. Humanity had made it out into the stars over one hundred and fifty years ago, and made first contact nearly sixty years ago. Since most of the family worked for the family business they often traveled a great deal, and with the family business expanding to the colonies many were moving off-world. Yue had been one of the first to leave.

Ranma notice her looking at him strangely. "What, I got something on my face?" he wiped his hand across his cheek and mouth.

"No, I'm just wondering about something," she said.

Uh, oh, when Haruhi was wondering about something it often wasn't a good sign. "About what?"

"Nothing much, I'm just wondering why you're still single," Oh hell, this again, Haruhi had a reputation in the clan as a Matchmaker. Many of the marriages in the clan had been arranged by her. Ranma jokingly called her "Lady Seto", after the ancient anime character who was notorious for similar reasons. Like her, Haruhi had a strong presence, she commanded respect and often got it, and few in the clan challenged ideas. The only ones who really stand up to her was him and Naomi-chan, a young teenage descendant from Akane's side of the clan bloodline. She wasn't a tomboy, but she sure did inherit Akane's temper, and she was a monster when it came to kendo. The Kuno side of the clan were all kendoka, and she often devastated them in sparring matches. Her bedroom was filled with trophies from tournaments she's won.

"You know why that is," he looked away.

She sighed, "That's just an excuse and you know it." His angry gaze snapped back in her direction and she cut him off before he could say anything.

"I see how you look at all of the young couples in the clan," she met his gaze, those eyes so reminded him of his long deceased mother. "You don't think I don't notice, or that anyone else doesn't for that matter? We're really worried about you. We see the longing, the loneliness, the sadness. Why do you do this to yourself?" The anger left him as he looked down at his hands. For the longest time he kept telling himself that he didn't want to face the some thing he did when Kasumi died. Her passing had really effected him, she had been everything to him. Yet, he indeed had been looking at the young couples in the clan with sad, jealous eyes.

"Its not like I don't have women in my life, you know." was his rebuttal, and it was true.

"You're referring to your adoring fan club I take it," her voice was dubious. "There's a difference between having a lasting relationship and one based purely on rough sex. One is emotionally fulfilling, and the other only lasts as long as she's able to stay conscious, which according to many of the stories I've heard isn't too long." He rolled his eyes and she swatted him. He couldn't help it if pretty young things couldn't handle how enthusiastic he gets when he's between their creamy thighs. Girls today just don't have the stamina they need to keep up with him, but it doesn't stop them from coming back for more later though.

He felt her hand on his as she spoke softly. "Kasumi-hime-sama was a wonderful woman, she is the picture of womanly perfection that many of the young girls in the clan often strive to achieve. I know that you love her very much, and keep her memory alive in your heart, that's admirable and very sweet, but don't you think its time you let her go? Its been nearly four hundred years since her passing, its time to let go and move on." He met her gaze, the concern was easily readable. Every year Haruhi read him the riot act about getting remarried, and every year he relented and thought about it. But, he found anyone who stirred him the way Kasumi did. Yes, he had a lot of willing young women at his beckon call, but he didn't really know them. Oh, he knew their bodies well, but he really didn't know "them". If he were to start something with someone he'd prefer her to not be one of his young mistresses. The infighting and jealousy that would occur would just bring back way too many bad memories of the old days. When he spent an entire weekend with a cute young high school girl named Shinobu it fired off a huge shit storm from the rest of the girls online. He ended up having to spend a weekend with each of them in kind.

"I'll think about it," he nodded.

"You always say that, and I always keep having to bring it up again." she replied. He resisted the urge to roll his eyes, he didn't want to get swatted again.

He sighed, "Ok, but right now I need to focus on this youma problem. Sailor Pluto and Mercury are close to finding out where they keep coming from, and once they do I'm going to show them the Wrath of the Gods. When its finally over, I plan on taking a nice long vacation. Maybe a solar system cruise, I've always wanted to go visit the rings of Saturn." That put a smile on Haruhi's face, it was the first time she was able to get him to go this far. It was progress, small progress, but it was better than nothing.

"I'm going to hold you too it," she said, giving him that look, the kind his mom used to give him when she wanted to get her way. He could face down youma, vicious youkai, and hideous demons from the deepest pits of Hades but he couldn't face one determined old woman.

"Shit," he cradled his head in his arms and she patted him on the head, smiling from ear to ear.

**oOOOo**

It took six weeks for Pluto and Mercury to finally find the source of the youma incursions. Their headquarters was a huge pocket dimension inside a cave just outside of town. Ranma went in by himself while an army of close to one hundred thousand with some of the planet's heaviest artillery and the Sailor Senshi were guarding the entrance. For several hours there was no activity from the cave, then finally Ranma emerged and shortly there after the cave exploded and collapsed.

"What happened in there?" Sailor Pluto looked him up and down, he didn't have a scratch on him or a single smudge on his red silk Chinese shirt.

Ranma shrugged, "I wandered around in there for a few hours and saw nothing, then finally this big ass thing came at me and I just hit it once and it blew up, then everything else started blowing up so I left." The gathered Sailor Senshi all looked at him with shock.

"That means you killed the leader," Sailor Mercury gasped. "You killed their leader with one hit!" She knew he was powerful but she didn't know he was that powerful. By her calculations, for the leader to be able to make so many youma and create such a pocket dimension, it had to be immensely powerful. Near Demigod levels or above. Such a being would dwarf Queen Beryl in power significantly and would have been an extremely dangerous enemy for the senshi to fight if they'd gone in alone. None of them short of Super Saturn or Sailor Moon in Neo-Queen Serenity mode could possibly have taken him on and done some significant damage. Killing him, maybe, but not after a very long, tiring, and very painfully protracted fight. And, this guy killed it with just one punch!

"I feel so fucking gypped, after the past eighteen months of hell fighting all those damn youma I was ready for a good fight, but no it all had to end so melodramatic." he throw up his hands in disgust. After all of that annoyance this happens, he was not satisfied. It had been a very, very, very long time since he'd fought someone, anyone, who was his equal.

"I so need a drink, ja ne!" with that he jumped into the air and flew off with the Sailor Senshi just watching him go. After seeing Ranma take off the military commanders realized the danger was passed and ordered the withdraw of the troops. Tuxedo Kamen and the Sailor Senshi still just stood there looking at each other in shock. Pluto thought Ranma had the right idea, after all this she so could use a drink herself, and teleported out.

Sailor Venus laughed nervously, "Hey, just be thankful he's on our side." Everyone nodded.

"He does kinda resemble my old sempai," Sailor Jupiter added, blushing.

Everyone replied, "Everyone resembles your old sempai!"

**oOOOo**

Ranma stayed true to his word, if there was one good thing about him it was that his promises were better than gold. It had been a very long time since he'd gone on a vacation. Up until now his life has been a constant stream of battles with the monster or super-powered bad guy of the week. At least with the new form of government those boring social functions were a thing of the past. There weren't any more career politicians that needed to be impressed, no more world leaders, no more queens, kings, emperors, or dictators. Well, except for North Korea, they were still independent but weren't much of a threat anymore to anyone but themselves.

He left Konatsu behind to watch after Haruhi. The woman was more than capable, but it could get very lonely in that old house all by herself. This wasn't the first time Ranma had made a trip into space. He'd been to the moon many times, often fighting off one alien invasion attempt after another, and there was that one time he went to Mars. Terraforming had made the surface liveable, thought still a bit cold. Venus was being terraformed, the air was still toxic but the air pressure and temperatures were down to something less lethal.

Being on this cruise ship brought back fond memories of the past. One time, he and Kasumi went on a cruise of Southeast Asia. The kids were still in school at that time. Their grandparents watched over them. It had been the first time in a long time that they were able to have some real quality alone time together. Akane was dating someone else at that time, or trying to. She was never able to really settle for anyone else. Banishing the ghosts of the past, he turned and looked through the transparent aluminum windows at the beautiful scene of Mother Earth with her splendid gown of blues and greens. Such views were so common nowadays, most people were chatting and not really paying attention.

Everywhere he looked there were couples and families, some human and some not. Aliens walking freely among humans was also another one of those commonplace things that people never payed much attention too anymore. So much has changed since back then. Ranma was torn between wondering if being able to see all of this was either a blessing or a curse. Still watching the blue earth slowly turn, he headed across the deck. The ship would be leaving orbit soon. In the old days you had to get into an acceleration seat when that happened. Nowadays with inertial compensators it was no long necessary, and plasma thrusters didn't produce the violent rumbling of old style liquid or solid fuel rockets. The ship also had a Hawking Drive, named after the deceased handicapped physicist who's calculations eventually made the technology possible.

He really wasn't paying much attention to where he was going. It was often that he was lost in thought. Ranma wondered what Kasumi would think of all of the changes that have occurred in the world since her death. Would she even recognize the neighborhood anymore? It was comforting to know that her spirit had returned to Earth. That little girl really had been cute, she was going to grow up to be very beautiful. He wished for her to have a good, happy and long life.

"Oh my, I'm sorry," he'd been so lost in thought he didn't even notice when he bumped into someone.

"This is my first time in space, so I wasn't paying attention." she was very cute, he guessed she was probably about fifteen years old. Yet, her eyes, they weren't the eyes of a young innocent teenage girl, but the eyes of a very old soul. The eyes of someone who had seen a great deal, maybe too much. Eyes very much like his own. Then, he felt it, a sensation that was almost impossible to ignore. This cute young girl wasn't entirely human.

She was just like him. She was a kami, or a miko with an unspeakable amount of spiritual power.

He smiled and scratched the back of his head. "It was my fault, I wasn't paying attention to where I was going either." He knew there were other kami, he'd seen them before and went to the kami association gatherings from time to time in Izumo-ku.

The girl cocked her head to one side and smiled, "Is this your first time in space too?" Her hair was brown and cut short in a style that was very much like Akane's. Her eyes were the same color as his. She still looked very young but he could tell she was much older than she looked. If she was what he suspected her of being she was very old indeed. She was also adorably cute wearing what appeared to be a modified version of the hakama and haori worn by miko. It more resembled the outfit of Hakurei Reimu from the old Touhou Project games from a few centuries ago. Minus the hat.

He shook his head. "Nah, I've been off-world before a few times. I was just lost in thought is all."

He wondered if she could feel the same power coming from him. She did pay close attention to his eyes and she was blushing slightly. This was the kind of girl he'd target for a night of sexual bliss, a cute young innocent thing naive to the ways of the world and ready to be conquered. But, he didn't put on the usual charm that had them eating out his hand this time. Something told him to go a different route with this one. Though she looked nothing like her, this girl's demeanor was so very much like Kasumi's. She gave off a air of calm and peacefulness that was so familiar and comforting.

"I get that way too sometimes," she giggled in a way that made here even cuter.

"You here with family?" she shook her head.

"No, its just me,"

"Same here,"

Her blush deepened. "Its Yurie, by the way. Hitosubashi Yurie."

He nervously scratched the back of his head. "Ranma, Saotome Ranma."

They both felt a gentle tug and looked down. Ranma stifled a gasp. It was her, the little girl from the cemetery. She stood there looking up at both of them, her tiny hands reaching out to both of them. She reached up with her arms beckoning Yurie to pick her up. Blushing a bit, Yurie looked around before reaching for her and put the little girl on her hip. The tiny child turned her adorable, cherub-like face and looked directly at him. Ranma felt a tug at his soul in those innocent young eyes. Was the part of Kasumi that still lived on in this little girl trying to tell him something? Was she telling him it was time to let her go? His pondering was interrupted as a desperate cry intruded on his thoughts.

"Kaori-chan! Where did you go? Has anyone seen my daughter, she just ran off this way." A blond woman of about twenty-five made her way through the throngs of ship passengers. When she spotted Yurie and the child she signed with visible relief.

"There you are," the little girl reached out from her and soon she was on her mother's hip. "I'm so sorry, she wasn't bothering you was she? I have no idea why she did that, normally she's such a well behaved child."

"Its ok," Yurie bowed politely. "She was no bother."

"Well, thank you for..." the mother turned to regard what she thought was the young girl's boyfriend when her eyes went wide with recognition. Had her jaw been able to hit the floor it could have plowed through the deck plates.

"Oh my kami-sama, y...y...you're...y...y...you're..." several emotions washed across the young mother's face as her mind come close to completely seizing up. She was brought out of her shock by a sound like the tinkling of little silver bells. Kaori was giggling and smiling as Ranma gently patted her on the head.

"She is a very special little girl," he smiled looking into the mother's eyes. "She'll grow up to be an exemplary young woman." Kaori giggled some more as he gently ruffled her hair and she tried to reach for him.

"Thank you," her mother, blushing profusely bowed her head and took off running with her child. Her friends and family on Mars were never going to believe that she and Kaori had just met the famous Dragon of Nerima.

Ranma saw the look on Yurie's face. "I get that a lot."

**oOOOo**

Throughout the entire trip the two kept running into one another, literally. Finally, as the ship was making an orbit of Jupiter, Ranma asked her to join him for some dinner and maybe some dancing. She accepted, and since then they spent all of their time together on the voyage. Their loneliness faded away the longer they spent time with one another, and by the time the ship reached Saturn they'd taken to cuddling in one of the private observation bubbles before going out to dinner. Ranma's suspicions about the girl has been confirmed, she was indeed a kami like him. In face, she'd been a kami long than he had been and much earlier in life.

"I was born in the late 60's in Onomichi-ku," Ranma listened to her intently. It was the first time since they'd started spending time together that she really talked about herself.

"That's on the Inland Sea, in Hiroshima province, right?" she nodded.

"It was a beautiful town, still is, up until my first year of junior high I was just an ordinary little girl, with below average grades." she blushed and absently ran a finger around the rim of her wine glass.

She looked up, her eyes seemed to be looking back through time. "Then, one day I woke up and knew I was a kami. The next thing I know my friends Matsuri and Mitsue had me on the roof of the school trying all kinds of embarrassing ways manifest my powers. It worked, I created a typhoon."

Ranma winced, "What happened?"

"We tried to stop it," she laughed. "Then Kenji, the boy I liked who later became my husband, got sucked up into a cyclone and suddenly I was able to use my powers. I saved him and calmed the storm. After that I was able to more easily tap into my powers and I could see all of the spirits that lived around town. So much happened that year. Yashima, the local kami of Reifuku shrine went missing, the Binbou-gami showed up in town and possessed my pet cat Tama-chan, a nekomata started a cat revolution, I helped an alien escape government capture, I helped the spirit of the Battleship Yamato reach his home port, so much happened so quickly."

Ranma laughed, "Sounds tame compared to what happened to me when my powers started working. Got the crap beat out of my by Gojira, stopped a couple of alien invasions, fought a horde of youma, got sucked into another dimension. My life's been almost a never end stream of battles."

"Oh wow, I never had to fight anybody," Yurie looked at him with sympathy. "Well, there was that this tiny, perverted old man who kept stealing girl's underwear around town. I swear, he couldn't be have been human. No matter what I did I could barely stop him."

Ranma pounded the table and started laughing. "What, I don't think it was that funny?" she scowled at him.

"Little old man, balding with some white hair, had a pipe and wore a dirty brown shinobi shozoku." she nodded, that described him perfectly. Chasing him down had been the first time in her life that she'd actually gotten made enough to want to really hurt someone. One day he trapped and molested Miko, it was her first year of high school, and she was changing into her gym clothes at the time. You could have heard her scream all the way to Hokkaido, that had been the last straw. In the end, he and his two thieving, cowardly cohorts managed to get away and never came back.

"That was Happosai," he explained. "He trained my father and his best friend in martial arts, if you want to call what they did training. They were terrified of the old guy, and for good reason. He may have been old codger but damn he was good. I used to chase him all over Nerima trying to stop him from stealing underwear and groping girls. The more girls he groped and more underwear he stole the stronger he got. I finally beat him though, challenged him to a match for the right to be called the Grandmaster of the Anything Goes School of Martial Arts. After that he retired, and became and an even worse pain in the neck. Finally one night he tried to steal the panties of two girls in Hinata-ku named Aoyama Motoko and Naruesagawa Narue. What they did to him was not pretty, he died later in the hospital. They weren't charged though, the old freak had a rap sheet so long you could stretch it to the moon and back a dozen times, so the cops called it "justifiable homicide" and let them go."

"Oh my, that's horrible!" Yurie gasped, she'd been angry with the old man but never really wished for him to die. Cause him much pain and suffering, yes, cause him to die, no.

"They were naked when they beat him, so he died happy I guess." he tried not to laugh.

A light bulb came on in her head. "Wait, your father and his best friend trained under him?" Ranma nodded.

"Was one of them bald and wore glasses, and other one had long black hair and wore a mustache?" Ranma nodded.

"The bald one was my old man," he told her folding his arms across his chest. "The other one was Tendo-san, master of the Tendo branch of the Anything Goes school, and the father of my late wife Kasumi. Happosai terrorized them into doing all the dirty work of stealing food and booze everywhere they went and called it training. Guessing at the time frame, I'd say they tore through your town just before they sealed him up in a cave for ten years."

"Ten years, but how could he have..." It boggled the mind, if he'd been trapped in a cave for ten years how could have have survived all that time without food or water. There was no way he could have been human then.

"I suspect the old coot wasn't entire human," Ranma shrugged. "He was either an oni or a hanyou. I doubt he was a kami. A tatarigami, maybe, but that would be stretching it." Tatarigami were mischievous or prankster gods, they really weren't evil and often didn't do much harm. Most of the time. Bin-chan almost classified as a tatarigami, but the misfortune and poverty that traveled in his wake wasn't done intentionally.

"I guess we've both lived in interesting times," Yurie laughed, lightening the mood.

"Happosai was just one of many weird chapters in my life," Ranma explained. "After all the weird crap I've been through nothing fazes me anymore."

"You're an interesting guy, Ranma." she reached her hand across the table. They held hands for a while before leaving the dinning hall and retreated to one of the private observation bubbles. Cuddling close they watched the rings of Saturn turning through the transparent aluminum. Yurie turned her head to look at something and her lips brushed against his. Electricity shot through her at the touch and she stifled a gasp. Tentatively at first, the two moved closer, and their lips met. The jolt of electricity became a surge that sent a warm sensation through her body and a shiver down her back. For Ranma, it was a sensation he hadn't felt in a very long time, and he deepened the kiss wanting more and not wanting to stop. The long loneliness and sadness that had covered their hearts for so long was suddenly blasted away. A deep need, a desire, a hunger, rose in both of them as their kissing lead to petting, then groping. Before things could go any further they left the bubble and practically ran all the way to Ranma's private suite.

Ranma had sex with so many women he'd lost count. He really liked sex, it was Kasumi who got him hooked on it because she just couldn't get enough of him. Akane was the same way. Yet, sex with his adoring young fans was just that...sex. Oh, it felt great, that was for sure, but it didn't feel the same as when he made love to Kasumi and Akane. It was something he hadn't experienced in centuries. It was the sane for Yurie, making love to Kenji for the first time had been incredible, and every time after that never lost that spark. After his passing she'd slept with a few men, but it just wasn't the same. She'd sleep with men to satisfy her needs, but there was something in her heart that they couldn't satisfy. It was true for both of them, until now.

As their bodies writhed together, the energy flowed between them, and it was an ecstasy unlike any they'd felt in so very long. This wasn't just sex, it was something more than that. It was something that couldn't be explained in words,. The deep wounds in their hearts were finally beginning to heal with every touch, every caress, every kiss, with every jolt of pleasure and cry of ecstasy. Their bodies were covered in a thin sheen of sweat, arms wrapped around each other, legs intertwined. After what seemed like an eternity the two lovers quaked from one final massive orgasm before collapsing. As they lay panting in each other's arms, Yurie buried her face in Ranma's chest and began to cry.

The pigtailed kami nearly panicked. Had he gone too far? He tried to think back, to see if he might have forced her, but she'd been willing all the way. Maybe he was too rough with her, sometimes he didn't know his own strength. But, the sobbing girl in his arms wasn't trying to get away. If anything, she was holding him even tighter, pressed herself against his body as if she was afraid she was going to be taken away from him any minute.

"Yurie-chan," he whispered, gently stroking her hair.

"I don't want to be alone anymore," her voice shook as the tears kept coming. "Please hold me, please don't leave me, I don't want to be alone anymore! Please!" He tightened his arms around her and just held her close.

"You aren't alone anymore, I'll never let you go," he promised. "I promise Yurie-chan, you'll never be alone again. I'll never leave you." The deceptively young girl in his arms relax with that declaration, and the evenness of her breathing told him she had fallen asleep. Ranma gently kissed her forehead, then pulled the covers over them. Soon, sleep came to claim him as well. That night, the nightmares never came for the first time in a very long time.

**oOOOo**

The Saotome Clan Hall was crowded, all of the clan members who were still living on Earth were assembled. Haruhi sat her traditional to the left of the head of the table. The immediate right from the head of the table, the space that faced her, had always been occupied by a photograph of Kasumi-hime-sama. Today Ranma wasn't at his usually spot at the table despite the fact that it was he who called for an important meeting of the entire clan. The room was abuzz with conversations, everyone was wondering what was going on and what was Ranma likely going to discuss with them. He even left Haruhi in the dark about what he was going to do, so when everyone asked her questions she had no answers to give them.

Finally, the shoji doors opened and Ranma strolled into the room dressed in a formal kimono. This raised more than a few eyebrows. Ranma almost never dressed in anything other than his trademark baggy pants and red silk Chinese shirt. To see him in such formal attire was very unusual. He didn't take his seat, but instead motioned for everyone to quiet down. The murmuring in the room stopped and when he was satisfied that he had everyone's attention he spoke.

"A long time ago, in this very house, I met a very special young woman," he stepped forward and picked up Kasumi's picture. Again, more eyebrows went up, it was the first time to their knowledge that the picture had ever been moved from that spot except when the table was being cleaned.

"None of you ever knew her as I did, you know of her from me and from the ideals she left behind which forms the beliefs under which this clan lives," he continued, holding the photo close to his chest. "She was more dear to me than life itself, she was my reason for living, and she was at the same time a reminder of my punishment. For the sin of killing a kami, to save someone whom I loved, I had to take his place. My punishment was that I could not grow old and gray with the ones I loved more than anything. I had to watch as they slowly died before my eyes, and for a time I wished there was a way that I could die."

Haruhi moved as to comfort him but he gestured for her to stay where she was. "I've watched so many of you come and go over the past nearly four hundred years. Despite the pain, I wouldn't give up the time I've spent with all of you and those who came before you for anything in the world. Since Kasumi's passing I've not been alone, I've always had the clan by my side, yet despite this there was always a void in my heart that no one was ever able to fill. A wound that no one was ever able to heal."

He looked at all of the in turn. "Until now," he turned and gestured towards the door behind her. A young woman of perhaps fifteen or sixteen years of age stepped into the room. She wore a formal, flowery kimono and had a flower in her hair. The young girl was blushing a very bright red and fidgeted a bit, but otherwise maintained her composure.

"Everyone, I want you to meet Hitosubashi Yurie," the young lady bowed politely.

"My innazuke," that's when the room exploded.

The deafening roar of shocked gasps, congratulations and non-stop questions finally ebbed when Ranma gestured for everyone to be quiet. "The actual date of the wedding has not yet been set. We'd like it to be sometime in the spring and it will take place over in the clan's private shrine. Only family, our clan and Yurie's, and close friends to the family will be in attendance, no press, no paparazzi. Yurie and I have discussed things and it will be a traditional Shinto wedding."

He moved over to the small portable shrine that sat in the corner and put Kasumi's picture next to the one of Akane. "Its time I let go of the past and started living for the future," he felt small gentle hands take his arm and looked up to see Yurie smiling up at him. "I've been torturing myself all of this time for something that was beyond my control. It finally took meeting a wonderful person to make me realize what I'd been doing to myself. I want to apologize to all of you, while I never emotionally abandoned the clan like Tendo Soun did when his wife died in a way I was acting just like him. I made you all worry about me. You don't have to worry anymore." He gently touched Yurie's face and she leaned against him smiling.

"This place at our table has remained empty for too long," he guided his intended to Kasumi's place at the table. With great reverence she sat down and Ranma soon joined her at his place at the head of the table.

"I hope to get to know all of you very well," her voice was nervous but she had everyone's attention. "I...I love Ranma very much, we're only known one another for a short time, but I already know in my heart that I want to spend the rest of life with him. Like Ranma, I too am a Kami." That caused a shocked murmur to run through those assembled.

"I was born more than four hundred years ago," she continued. "Like him, I do not age. I will never grow old, I will never die, we can both spend the rest of eternity together." Before she could say anything more Yurie found herself being whisked away by the women of the clan and subjected to all kinds of questions. Then men slapped Ranma on the back and congratulated him and pulled out the sake to toast his impending nuptials. After a while the chaos ended and dinner was served.

Six months later the wedding too place in the Saotome clan shrine. The entire clan had been assembled, members from off world had made the trip to attend the wedding. Close family friends were there, and two people in particular were given a space place of honor. A young woman and a small four year old girl. The priest accompanied by the miko of the shrine, all clan members, conducted the ancient Shinto ceremony of marriage. Everyone wore paper charms, which allowed them to see the other special guests of the wedding. Yashima, Bentaizen, and several other kami were in attendance. They were normally invisible except to those who had spiritual gifts, like the clan miko and priest, or were themselves kami like Ranma and Yurie.

As the ceremony wound down and everyone went to the clan hall for the reception, Ranma peel off from the main group and his new wife. She knew what he had planned, and went on ahead. Ranma went over to the young mother and asked her to come with him. They walked to the far end of the shrine to where pictures of past clan members floated in the air. The little girl holding her hand at her side looked with innocent at everything around her.

"I don't know why you graced us with the incredible honor of attending your wedding, Ranma-sama, but thank you." the young mother bowed deeply.

"Just call me Ranma, and there was a very important reason why I wanted both of you to attend." he gestured towards the holographic photographs. There were hundreds of them, past clan members who had passed way during the past four hundred years. Ranma gestured with his hand and floating pictures floated away, allowing just one to come into view. It enlarged, revealing itself to be the picture of Kasumi. Kaori was looking very intently at the picture, then went over Ranma and reached up with her hands for him to pick her up. Her mother was about to scold her but Ranma picked the little girl up and put her on his hip.

"What important reason, Ranma-sa...I mean, Ranma?" the mother asked.

"This is my first wife, Kasumi," he nodded towards the picture. "She was very dear to me, meant everything to me. I loved her so much it still hurt even now that she cannot be here." The young woman regarded him with a sad sympathetic look. She felt the same way about her late husband, Kaori's father.

"When I said your little girl was special, I meant it," he told her. The woman cocked her head to one side, not really understanding.

"Kaori is Kasumi's reincarnation," she gasped and covered her mouth, tears forming in her eyes.

"I know this may sound rather forward of me, but I'd like to add the two of you to the Saotome clan registry." he said. "Would there be a problem with that?" The stunned woman shook her head, she was too shocked to say anything.

"As members of the clan you can choose to live here on the family plot, or you can go back to Mars," he told her. "If you choose to stay here I'll can arrange for you and Kaori to have either your own house or you can stay in one of the other family homes. You'll receive a weekly allowance, as does every clan member, and we might even have a place for you in the family business. We're always looking for new talent and I understand you're pretty good at programming in Quantum C."

Ranma patted the little girl on the head and she giggled. "Like Kasumi, Kaori here has a great deal of spiritual power," her mother looked surprised at this. "Kasumi had the potential to be a very powerful miko. She was able to heal people by laying her hands on them, she was able to calm people who were angry with just her presence and she was able to exorcise evil spirits. I'd like it if Kaori could be apprenticed to Nami-chan, she's the head miko of the family shrine and has a great deal of experience. She'd be the perfect person to teach Kaori how to control the power within her."

Kaori's mother nodded, "We'll live here, my sister's home back on Mars is rather small. She took me and Kaori in because we were all alone here since my husband's death. I appreciate what she did for us, but she was really putting herself out to take me and Kaori in. She has a family of her own and barely has the room for her three children let alone two extra people."

"Ok, welcome to the family then." he handed Kaori back, who looked disappointed at not being held by him anymore, but as they began to leave the shrine she saw a group of children from the clan playing.

Ranma regarded them with a smile. "Let her go play, this entire area is very safe. Nothing dangerous can get anywhere near the children without suffering from a swift and excruciatingly painful death. Ninety-nine percent of the clan are martial artists with A and A+ rank ki manipulation classifications, more than half of them have master level magical powers due to being related to me, and nearly all of them have super-human strength, speed and endurance. If something threatening enters the family land, it won't live long." Kaori's mom boggled at this as she let the little girl down. The child took off like lightning to join the rest of the children running around playing. The young mother fallowed Ranma to the reception area in a daze. So much had just happened, and now she and her daughter were members of the most power family on the planet.

**oOOOo**

Yurie picked her way through thick brush and foliage. It wasn't hard following Ranma's passage through the thick growth, she was able to sense his essence and she saw the telltale signs of where he'd been in every broken branch and disturbed patch of dead leaves. Soon she found him, he was clearing dead leaves and branches away from what had once been a grave marker. The centuries had worn the stone down to almost nothing. It was virtually unrecognizable from an ordinary stone, but Yurie could feel Kasumi's essence here. This was the place, this was where she was buried. Her bust had been removed a long ago to preserve it. The headstone never received nano-reinforcement so it was allowed to erode naturally.

Ranma prayed silently at the grave for a moment, then moved away to Yurie's side. "I had to come here, its going to be the last time I ever get to see this place."

"I know," she looked up at the sky. "Its almost time, we'd better get going." Ranma nodded and the two popped out of existence. They reappeared in high orbit of the Earth, a love seat appeared and they sat down and waited. Holding one another the two watched as the light of the sun began to change, turning from it usual golden yellow glow to something more akin to red. The output of the sun increased immensely and began to have a profound effect on the planet below. The glow of fires could be seen on the dark side as the atmosphere began to heat up. Today was the last day anything would live on the earth. The people had moved away long ago and evolved, the race known as Humanity was gone, replaced to something far more advanced and not tied to physical bodies. The sun, which had given live to the earth for billions of years, was nearing the end of its life and becoming a red giant. Soon it would grow to swallow up the three most inner planets of the solar system.

"I don't like seeing the old girl go," said Ranma.

"All good things must come to an end," Yurie replied.

He smiled at her and kissed her cheek. "Not everything though," with that, they and the loveseat vanished as the two departed for someplace else on other side of the universe.

**oOOOo**

The End


End file.
